East Bay

NEWPORT -- Architect John Grosvenor gazes reverently across Bellevue Avenue at what has come to be considered one of American's finest examples of urban Gilded Age architecture -- a stretch of buildings that includes the Victorian shingle design of the Newport Casino and the stick-style Travers Building. Also nearby is the Gothic Revival mansion Kingscote.

So the irony of the spot where he points out the architectural pedigree of these National Historical Landmarks -- in front of a modern shopping plaza, in the middle of a sprawling sea of asphalt -- is not lost on him. In fact, it's exactly what's on his mind.

What do you do with a 1950s strip mall that was plopped down in the middle of one of Newport's most authentic and illustrious blocks?

Nearly a half-century later, Grosvenor's job is to resolve that thorny question. And as one of the most respected architects in the state, he's striving to answer to his business-motivated client, developer Aram Garabedian, and to critics of the plans he has been presenting around town.

The drawings of the $40- $60-million project show the one-story Bellevue Gardens Shopping Center being transformed into a four-story complex with underground parking, retail space on the bottom level, and million-dollar condominiums above, some with views of the harbor. Its architectural features -- including shingles on the upper levels and brick below, along with towers and chimneys and a two-story angled roof with dormers -- are intended to resemble a chateau and complement the historic structures across the street.

But one of the key issues is the very parking lot where Grosvenor stands. In the current proposal, its size would be reduced slightly, cobblestone-like pavers would replace some of the asphalt, greenery would be added, and a path created for pedestrians to walk between Bellevue Avenue and the plaza. Today, there's no clear way for them to navigate through the parking spaces and traffic lanes.

The open space preserved by the parking area, says Grosvenor, would protect views of the historic buildings across Bellevue Avenue as well as Kingscote, next door. And it would continue to serve people who want to park and stroll around Bellevue Avenue, even if they have little interest in the Bellevue Gardens plaza itself.

"We can transform what is now just a parking field into . . . something much more playful. . . . that is much more pedestrian friendly," Grosvenor said. "He envisions a European-style "piazza, a courtyard that will effectively celebrate all of the buildings around the square."

But some residents presented with the plans don't see it that way at all. They are taking cues from the New Urbanism movement, an architectural backlash to developments designed around automobiles. Its supporters, weary of suburban strip malls, decry projects where parking lots take center stage.

Even with the plan's many positive attributes, including the beautification of the parking lot, "What you have is a memorial to 1950s and 1960s planning," said architect Kenneth Taylor, whose firm last year completed a study on how to improve central Newport.

Taylor spoke at meeting Monday of the Alliance for a Livable Newport, where Grosvenor presented the plans. Several others echoed his sentiments.

At the meeting, even Grosvenor acknowledged, when pressed, that he had initially envisioned tearing down the entire plaza. If he could start over, he would situate the complex much closer to Bellevue, he said. But given development constraints, renovation of the plaza -- not replacement -- is the only choice.

"I'm disappointed, myself," he said.

BELLEVUE GARDENS arrived more than 70 years after the 1880 debut of Newport Casino, which heralded Bellevue Avenue's heyday.

In those days, the well-to-do flocked to the avenue for shopping and dining as well as such leisurely pursuits as archery, billiards, dancing, lawn bowling and court tennis. The casino was one of many buildings designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White that helped America carve out an architectural identity distinct from Europe.

Ironically, the arrival in the late 1950s of Bellevue Gardens, directly across the street, was considered another architectural gem. It allowed a car-loving nation to drive into a spacious parking area, get out and walk beneath a canopy along a row of storefronts.

"It actually won an architectural design award, heaven forbid," Grosvenor said.

A facelift in 1992 gave the plaza a fresher appearance, but did nothing to address contemporary design concerns. The plaza, Grovesnor said, "has suffered."

Since then, a lot has changed.

One of the plaza's anchors, the Almacs supermarket, closed. Eastside Marketplace, a more upscale grocery, took over the location. But about five years ago it closed its doors, purportedly succumbing to competition from the Stop & Shop supermarket, a few blocks away in another strip mall. The nearly 20,000-square-foot space has sat empty since then.

Meanwhile, residential property values, as elsewhere in the state, have skyrocketed in recent years. And in Newport, condominium values are increasing at a faster pace than single-family houses.

The median sales price for Newport condominiums has soared from $125,00 in 1990 to $256,000 in 1999 to $322,500 mid-way this year, according to the Statewide Multiple Listing Service. That's an increase of 35 percent over the same time last year. Housing prices jumped just 12 percent.

These conditions, along with a trend in creating so-called mixed-use developments, gave rise to the proposed extreme makeover for Bellevue Gardens.

WRECKING CREWS would tear down most of buildings in the plaza during the various phases of the project. And new buildings would go up inside the exact footprints of the old ones. But the similarities will pretty much end there.

First to be demolished, as early as next spring or summer, would be the old Eastside Marketplace section, at the bend in the L-shaped plaza. An 80,000-square-foot, four-story building would replace it, with underground parking and 36 condominiums on the upper three floors. The two-bedroom units will range from 1,200 square feet to 2,000 square feet.

"They'll start at about $1 million," said Grosvenor, although a handful might be designated as affordable and go for about one-third of that amount and some might sell for as much as $2 million. Suggesting that he has been overwhelmed by inquiries, he said, "I can't tell you the number of people who are interested in the residential units."

One of the most attractive improvements, Grosvenor said, will be the view from the road on the northern side of the plaza. William Street is home to Sardella's restaurant and several quaint, older buildings, but many must face the long rear wall of the supermarket. Murals depicting historic scenes of Newport were painted on it years ago, but it's still an essentially lifeless concrete block wall.

Under the plans, the first-floor retail spaces will get entrances and windows on Williams Street. And because the building will be a little further from the road, there will be space for a wider sidewalk.

"The benefits of invigorating William Street," Grosvenor said, are "a huge plus."

Another dramatic change, he said, will be a new opening in the plaza, at the space CVS left vacant to relocate to the southern end of the plaza. Tearing down that section of the shopping center -- and not rebuilding there -- will create what Grosvenor terms a "portal" for pedestrians to cut through from Bellevue Avenue right to King Street. It will reducing "massing" and serve as an area where Newport Creamery patrons can eat and drink outside.

The second phase of the project would result in the demolition of the section of plaza between the creamery and the new CVS. It, too, would be replaced by underground parking in the existing basement and a four-story building, this one with 18 condos. This work might not begin for another five years because of existing leases, Grosvenor said.

There is also the possibility that a 6,200-square-foot, one-story building would be erected closer to Bellevue Avenue, on the William Street side of the plaza. Another portal would separate it from the main complex along that side of the plaza. That decision may depend on whether the building is perceived by the public as enhancing or detracting from the intended "piazza" aesthetics, Grosvenor said.

The exterior of the newer CVS store (in the old CWT building) would be renovated in a third phase to match the rest of the development, but otherwise it would remain the same. It won't be expanded and no floors will be added.

And that's the crux of the problem, according to those who attended the Alliance for a Livable Newport gathering.

WHEN SOME in the group suggested moving the entire development closer to Bellevue Avenue and relocating the parking to the rear or entirely underground, Grosvenor said the stumbling block to that concept was CVS. The store has signed a 25-year renewable lease and probably prefers the large parking area out front. Garabedian, he said, isn't entertaining the idea of razing it and rebuilding it elsewhere on the lot.

"One thing I can't control are leases. . . . We have to be fair to the businesses," Grosvenor said. He emphasized that "the risk is enormous for this man [Garabedian]"

He added, "We have an opportunity to make this as nice a place as possible. Nine out of 10 is right about this thing, but 10 out of 10 is not going to happen."

Grosvenor -- whose firm has won plaudits for its work on the Castle Hill Inn & Resort, the National Hotel on Block Island, Hotel Providence, Fort Adams and Portsmouth's Carnegie Abbey resort -- has the type of credentials and local roots that tend to earn him respect and good will.

Peter Denton, a member of the group, echoed his sentiment, saying, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."

And resident Susan Sullivan said, "This looks like a much nicer pedestrian friendly environment."

But Taylor and fellow architect Gale Goff persisted, suggesting that CVS and Garabedian be approached about rebuilding the entire plaza closer to Bellevue.

"Why not go the last 10 yards and put a real piazza on top," instead of a glorified parking lot? said George Herchenroether, head of the alliance.

The Historic District Commission will continue its hearing on the project when it meets next month. If the commission votes in favor of the plans, then the developer must obtain a special-use permit -- but no variances for height or dimensions -- from the Zoning Board of Review.

Without the permit, Garabedian does not have the right to build housing.

But, Grosvenor pointed out to the alliance members, "You could do a hotel, by right." He said he mentioned that not as a threat, but for informational purposes. A hotel, he said, could have about 140 units.

"He's not maxing out on what the ordinance allows," he said.

Reporter Richard Salit can be reached at (401) 277-7467 or by e-mail at rsalitATprojo.com