Ocean House, Rhode Island

Ocean House is a large, Victorian-style waterfront hotel originally constructed in 1868 on Bluff Avenue in the Watch Hill historic district of Westerly, Rhode Island.

The original 1868 hotel closed in 2003, was demolished in 2005 and a new facility in heavily revised form opened in 2010 on the same site, retaining much of the original structure's form as well as the original name. Both the original and its reconstruction are noted for a their rambling Victorian architecture and distinctive yellow siding.

At the time of its closing, the original Ocean House was the last waterfront Victorian Era hotel on mainland Rhode Island.

History

Originally built in 1868 the Ocean House was smaller compared to the other hotels located on Watch Hill, and over the years the hotel expanded with numerous. The original Ocean House was a central structure in the Watch Hill Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In March, 2004, Girouard Associates of New Canaan, Connecticut purchased the facility from heirs of the Louis D. Miller family, which had owned the hotel since 1938. Girouard Associates intended to raze Ocean House and build five large oceanfront homes. A protest ensued, a new buyer was ultimately found, and the spirit of the original building — if not the actual building in its entirety — was preserved.