Photo: Dennismccarten, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
In the late 1800s Narragansett Pier was one of the most fashionable summer resorts on the East Coast, with big hotels and wealthy families from New York and Philadelphia. In the 1880s the architecture firm McKim, Mead & White designed the Narragansett Pier Casino, a social club with a theater, restaurant and shops, built over Ocean Road.
The fire
In 1900 a fire swept through the casino and nearby hotels. The casino was destroyed except for the stone towers and the arch connecting them.
The surviving structure, known simply as the Towers, became the symbol of Narragansett. It appears on the town seal and on countless postcards.
A town venue
The Towers is owned by the town and maintained by a nonprofit group, the Towers Corp. Its upstairs ballroom is rented out for weddings, parties and community events, and the money helps pay for upkeep.
The building has needed regular repair work because of its exposure to salt air and storms.
For the local event business, the Towers is a high-demand venue. Caterers, florists and photographers from across South County work weddings there through the summer and fall.
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