"Conservatory" was a working stable on Newport’s seventeenth-century waterfront. In the late 1800s, Peleg Sanford dismantled and reassembled it a few hundred feet to Green Street. The structure was then called the Stewart Stables until 1947. While little is known of its post-1947 history, old Newporters relate that it was essentially storage space with periodic businesses. Green Street itself is populated with numerous eighteenth-century residences. In 1974, an architectural conservator/artist purchased Conservatory and converted it into a residence with a small corporation on the first floor. Forty-seven years later, it remains his home; the corporate space is now living and studio space.
Measuring at just over 3,800 sq. ft., the structure has post-and-beam construction with many early details contributing to its character. Amenities include two parking slots, three working wood-burning fireplaces, a large living room fitted with numerous bookshelves, a large kitchen /dining room with private mahogany deck, and private guest quarters with kitchen and private entrance. Zoned commercial, the structure is highly visible from Newport’s bustling Thames Street, while not suffering the constant influx of tourists. The working sculpture studio with its large glass doors opening to to the street could be converted into a shop, boat storage, or other possibilities. Located well above Newport’s flood zone, Conservatory is fitted with 2 1/4-inch working shutters. A large, power shutter closes the studio’s large south windows.