Oceanview Hotel Fire on Block Island - New Shoreham, RI - Famous Fires on Waymarking.com

In New Shoreham, on the edge of the village of Old Harbor, is a publicly accessible property called Oceanview, the site of a hotel that burned in 1966.

The property is an easy walk from the ferry landing at Old Harbor, off Water Street. There is a painted log at the road that says "Oceanview - Walkers Only" and a kiosk further in that has more information. Follow the main trail up hill to a pavilion in an open area. From there, continue going uphill to the edge of the clearing where there is a sign, two stairs and some brush.

The site includes the two stairs, which go up about five feet to a platform to nothing. Nearby are what first appear to be stone walls sectioning off squares of ground - these are actually foundations to the hotel. There is a path that continues through the foundation and bends back around to the entrance at Water Street. At one point is a garden, and another is an art installation. At another part of the foundation is a roughly hewn stone. Between the stairs is a sign - well, more like a bulletin board made of wood with printed cards either tacked on or stapled to the wood.

The sign has many pictures and text of aspects of the hotel while it was operating. On the furthest right end one of the cards had a picture of firemen attempting to put a building fire out and the words: "Ocean View Hotel Fire, July 6, 1966. Photograph from the Block Island Historical Society Collection". Elsewhere, one printed card stated that it didn't take long for the large hotel building to burn down. When it was operating, it was one of the largest hotels on the island and had several famous guests stay there including Ulysses Grant and members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

I couldn't find much else about the fire at this location. Unfortunately, the Block Island Historical Society web site was not up at the time of writing. The place is or was owned by the Oceanview Foundation. The kiosk had two other logos: The Nature Conservancy and the Block Island Conservancy. The sign stated that the Block Island Land Trust owns it.

Sources:

Block Island Times (Block Island Landmarks):
(visit link)

Type of Structure: Private Building Other: Foundations of a hotel Fire Date: 07/06/1966 Structure status: Gutted building Cause of Fire: Not known by me. Documentation of the fire: [Web Link] Construction Date: Not listed

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