NEWPORT – The city zoning board gave its approval on Monday to an application to raze the former Boathouse Restaurant on Lower Thames Street, replacing it with a three-story six unit multi-family complex.
A rendering of the future 636 Thames St.
According to an application filed by Betsy Braconi of Canton, Mass., current plans are to demolish the one-time downtown hot spot, replacing it instead with a 7,509 sq. ft. shingle or clapboard style structure.
Records show that Braconi purchased the property on Dec. 31, 2002 for a price of $387,000. Since then, the building has stood empty quickly becoming an eyesore for the neighborhood and a potential fire hazard according to city officials.
The proposed structure will not occupy any more square footage than the existing building, but will take up a slightly greater percentage of the lot. The number of parking spaces, which will be located behind the building, will also be increased from five to 10, and the building height is expected to nudge upward from 36 to 40 feet.
A sketch included with the application shows a split three story building with a driveway cut through the middle of the structure, reminiscent of The Towers in Narragansett. An earlier design had called for a four-story, 45-foot structure with seven units totaling over 12,000 sq. ft.
According to city records, the property is located in a limited business area, with offices and retail stores intermixed with single family homes and apartment buildings.
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Newport, RI
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
i am 43. this was my first job when i was 14 living in the 5th ward two streets over (around 1980). joe vars owned it and when the tall ships and americas cup used to come this place was rocking. newport was a hell of a place to be a teen in the early 80’s. ted turner used to hang out with joe after hours as a friend. i used to sweep around them as they tied one on. this was long before tbn and his mogul life. anyway, a lot of memories. i guess its just a building, but if it could talk… my goodness.
greg ouellette
bend, oregon
Always sad to see something go, but this place has been a vacant eyesore for too long. I’m sure though, evidenced by the above poster, there are a lot of memories tied to it…
I was born on Carey Street, one street from the Boathouse. I was at the bar when it opened and patronized it until I left Newport. Joe and Amy Vars ran a class A business. They were very customer oriented. I belonged to The Incredable Off Broadway Ensamble Theater (TIFOBET). When we had fundraisers Joe would always provide trays of his incredable Corn Bread. When a blizzard hit Newport, my wife and me would trudge through knee to waist high snow to the Boathouse and Joe would open for us (They lived upstairs) and we would sit in front of his big fireplace and drink Cognac and enjoy the snow storm. His appreciation for the Military was unprecedented. If you had a military I.D. card, active or retired, your bill for you and every member of your family was 50% off. That included all drinks. People do not come any better than that. they will take away the building but they can not take away the great feeling we have for Joe, Amy and the rest of the Vars family. Joe if you read this, e-mail me at bouellette5@cfl.rr.com Love to hear from you.
Bernie Ouellette
Orlando, Florida.
follow up comment on my dads bernie’s comment:
another short story about joe vars. i was working as a dishwasher in what must have been the summer of ‘82 and after being treated like one of the family got the bright idea to steal a large piece of prime rib. i wrapped it up and placed it in the garbage can before taking it out. on my way to the dumpster i was caught by a member of the family. in the ensuing, but quick trial there at One AM in the morning on the back deck, i was let go.
my father realized a few days later that i wasnt working and after some questioning i told him what happened. he and i went down to the boathouse and had a pow wow with joe, who, like a caring but firm uncle, immediately welcomed me back. he actually called all of his young employees ‘family’. it was a lesson in many things that joe would likely not remember but has had a lasting impact on how i see people, relationships and forgiveness.
i have several memories when, at the busiest times when everything was balls to the wall going at 200%, joe would come in the kitchen all fired up, walk around to the lower paid employees and just walk up to you and proclaim “nice job neuman (i dont think he ever knew my real name), write on your timecard you get a 50 cent raise, you too sean”. then he would turn and tell someone who wasnt a go getter that this is how they need to work to get ahead. what a shaping moment for a 14-15 y/o kid.
of course i could go on and on. joe was a fun loving but serious man. flawed in many respects like all of us but at the important, deeper level a true quality human being. really.
greg
didnt mean to say joe ‘was’ like he is not out there somewhere1 post your contact info if you are still out there reading this joe.
greg “gary neuman”
I have lived in upstate NY all my life and fell in love with Newport at around the age of 18. I used to plan at least a few trips a year until I was about 35. It was then that I met Doc and Amy Vars at a Chowder cookoff. From that point on, I increased my visits to about 20 times a year. I miss the Boathouse people, laidback atmosphere, and of course, Doc and Amy. Probably it stands out as one of the most memorable and enjoyable times of my life and I will never forget the Boathouse.