Photo: Swampyank at en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
The twin stone towers that span Ocean Road in Narragansett are the town’s best-known landmark. They are also the only surviving part of the Narragansett Pier Casino, a seaside social club that was the center of resort life in the late 19th century.
The Casino
Narragansett Pier became a fashionable summer resort after the Civil War, with grand hotels lining the shore. The Casino, designed by the New York architects McKim, Mead & White, was built in the 1880s. It offered a restaurant, a ballroom, reading rooms, a theater and shops, with the stone arch carrying the building over the road to the beach.
The fire
In September 1900, a fire destroyed much of the Casino and several neighboring hotels. The stone Towers survived. The rest of the complex was not rebuilt in its original form, and the resort era gradually faded as tastes and travel changed. The 1938 hurricane later damaged much of the remaining waterfront.
The Towers today
The Towers are owned by the Town of Narragansett and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nonprofit organization works with the town to maintain and program the building. The upstairs ballroom hosts weddings, concerts, dances and community events, and the building occasionally opens for tours and historic exhibits.
A walk around the Pier
- Narragansett Town Beach and the seawall walk run north from the Towers.
- Memorial Square and the Pier’s shops and restaurants are steps away.
- The Narragansett Historical Society offers programs on the resort years, the Casino and the grand hotels.
Check the Towers’ event calendar for public events and open houses.
