[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2195-E2196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO SALVE REGINA UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 26, 1999

  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that 
I rise today to congratulate Salve Regina University for being selected 
to receive the 1999 National Preservation Award from the National Trust 
for Historic Preservation. Indeed, I cannot think of many college 
campuses that would qualify for such a distinctive and prestigious 
Award.
  It is no secret, Mr. Speaker, that Newport is home to many of the 
19th century ``summer cottages` which personified the Gilded Age. 
Indeed, the city by the Sea enjoys a rich history of the splendid 
architecture of that Age. What is not widely known, however, is that 
Salve Regina's unique campus is comprised of 18 of these restored 
summer estates on some 60 manicured acres along the Atlantic coast. 
Salve Regina was recognized by the National Trust for its ongoing 
restoration of its campus and its accredited historic preservation 
educational program. The award was presented on October 22nd in 
Washington, D.C. at the National Trust's annual preservation 
conference.
  Beginning in 1947 with the gift of an estate designed by noted 
architect Richard Morris Hunt, the University has added the former 
summer homes of Vice President Levi Morton, international sportsman 
James Van Alen, and New York financier William Watts Sherman to its 
collection. Some of the homes were designed by H.H. Richardson or 
McKim, Mead and White, and feature details by Louis Comfort Tiffany, 
John LaFarge, or Karl Bitter. This architectural treasure trove, which 
also includes landscapes designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, has been 
preserved in its entirety by Salve Regina.
  The Salve Regina campus with its Gilded Age mansions, shingled 
Victorian cottages, and classically-designed landscapes is a working 
laboratory of American history and architecture. One such unique home 
is Ochre Court. It was the first of a group of spectacular Newport 
houses in the Grand Manner designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America's 
foremost architect of the late 19th century. Commissioned by the Goelet 
family in 1988, the stately 50 room mansion was given as a gift by the 
family in 1947 to the Sisters of Mercy to begin Salve Regina. Ochre 
Court now serves as the University's administration building and is a 
treasure trove of mythology, literature, and the arts and sciences.
  Mr. Speaker, Salve Regina is also the home of the Pell Center for 
International Relations and Public Policy, named in honor of our former 
colleague Senator Claiborne Pell of Newport. In 1997 Salve Regina 
acquired Fairlawn to be the home of the Penn Center. Built in 1852, 
Fairlawn became the home of Vice President Levi Morton in 1860. Morton 
added a ballroom to this mansion in 1870 to accommodate a visit by 
President Ulysses S. Grant.

[[Page E2196]]

  Aside from its many architectural treasures, Salve Regina is also 
recognized for its wonderful educational system. Having recently 
celebrated its 50th anniversary, the University is emerging into 
national recognition as a coeducational institution where academic 
excellence is fostered in a context of ethical living. In the tradition 
of its founders, the Religious Sisters of Mercy, Salve Regina embraces 
a mission of commitment to learning and community enrichment for 
students of all backgrounds and faiths. Over two thousand undergraduate 
and graduate students from 43 states and 26 foreign countries are 
enrolled in 32 undergraduate concentrations and 11 graduate programs, 
including a doctoral program in Humanities.
  It gives me great pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to congratulate Salve Regina 
University for receiving this national award. It is a testament to the 
leadership of the University under the incomparable Sister Therese 
Antone, the faculty, and the student body that their campus has been 
selected as one of our nation's top historic treasures. It is also 
symbolic of the ability of the University to not only adapt to this 
rich environment, but to continually feel the responsibility to 
preserve it for future generations of students, members of the 
community and visitors to Newport.

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