Dalrymple Boathouse

Dalrymple Boathouse. Roger Williams Park. , In 1896, philanthropist Clark Dalrymple funded the construction of this Queen Anne style boathouse designed by the Providence firm Martin and Hall. The building's style is typical of pavilions and boathouses at seaside and lake resorts across the country during this period. The details were designed to evoke a sense of being on holiday. In the early 1900s, the boathouse functioned as a launching pad for boats during the summer and as a warming station and hot cocoa dispensary for ice skaters during the winter., The first boathouse in the Park, built in 1880, was located on the same lake. It was removed when this boathouse was built., Did you know? , The 1878 park plan by landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland included dredging swampy areas of the park to make lakes., Information and photos courtesy of the RWP Museum of Natural History archives, the National Register of Historic Places, and "The Jewel of Providence" by David Marshall., [Captions:] , Pictured above left, the original boathouse was located by today's Seal House. To the right is a postcard from the 1900s depicting the current boathouse and a popular activity at the time - canoeing. Patrons could register their canoes for one dollar a year! Below, skaters take to the ice in the winter of 1915.