A beautiful place by the sea

Let me show you my etchings. The new Klimpt print above Christian's bed lends focus and romantic resonance to his crisply understated apartment.

A housewarming for Chris in his fab ultra-modern studio apartment overlooking the mighty Piscataqua River and the working waterfront of Portsmouth, NH, yesterday morning.  Great anticipation all around, and then, just before we headed north, sudden inspiration.  We ran up to the attic to search for the perfect work of art as a house gift for our precious nephew's virgin wall. It had been a long time, and we had half forgotten what we had, but there amongst a bunch of originals by the many artists we had known in our youth and printed copies of the greats we had known only through books and museum exhibitions was a majestically-framed printed copy of Gustav Klimpt's "The Kiss."  It had graced the wall of the downstairs bathroom for years, but when Tuck redid the room, it was banished to the attic.

We had brought hammer and fittings, and Tuck went to work.  Soon the framed print was hanging above the bed, and Chris was in a swoon.

The view from the balcony, South Church in Portsmouth, NH (Christian Cormier photo)

Later, after a burger-and-fries luncheon to die for at Molly Malone's tavern, we visited a hidden jewel, the granite Greek Revival South Church on State Street.  Wouldn't you know we had left our sweet little camera in the car, having thought the day was too overcast for interesting shots, and we missed one of the shots of a lifetime -- Susie, Tuck and Chris ascending a spiral staircase with the sunlight streaming in from the side as we watched from above.  Fortunately, Chris had one of those awesome cell phones that takes pictures and connects to the internet -- probably makes coffee and runs your bath as well -- so at least we got the above shot from the balcony, e-mailed to us later on by Chris.

There is some confusion as to who actually designed the building. Tuck and a plaque outside the church credit it to the great Quincy Market architect Alexander Parris, while the church's own website and that of the Portsmouth Harbour Trail credit local architect Jonathan Folsom:

The South Church, home to Unitarian-Universalists, is the only granite church in Portsmouth.  Completed in 1826, it was the work of area architect Jonathan Folsom.  Folsom's handsome plan inspired several New England copies, including one in Quincy, Mass., and another in Portland, Maine.

We do recall that the plaque outside the church, inadequate as it was, only "attributed" the design to Parris, while the employees inside the church had no idea -- and no interest -- regarding the architectural heritage of the magnificent structure within which they toiled.  A great example of how quickly we forget and dismiss the hard-won historical and artistic achievements of those upon whose shoulders we stand in our taken-for-granted lives of luxury and freedom.

And yet it's not a problem.  Drinks all around at Wentworth-by-the-Sea in nearby Newcastle burnished the day with a mellow glow, suitably spiced by Chris's having a vodka martini spilled in his lap by the Cocktail Waitress from Hell.

Comments

[acjgoomp]

Thanks for a great Travel Log and a heartwarming 'Day to be Remembered" with family.

[Tuck]

Actually, there is no confusion. Original correspondence between the South Church Building Committee and Parris still exists, leaving no doubt as to the building's designer. By 1826, Parris was living and working in Boston -- he did not visit the Portsmouth site until some time after the project was complete; Folsom was superintendent during construction -- the design was rendered in absentia. Parris's work in Portland (ME), projects in Richmond (VA) and in Boston, as well as South Church, had all contributed to his growing reputation. But South Church in Portsmouth was perhaps foremost in the minds of the United First Parish Church of Quincy when they engaged Parris as architect for their new building. Formerly known as the "Stone Temple," it is considered by many to be Parris's masterpiece. A tour of the Quicy site is well worth the time and includes the tombs of two American Presidents and their wives -- John and Abigail and John Quincy and Louisa Adams.

For details, see Zimmer, Edward. “The Architectural Career of Alexander Parris (1780–1852).” Ph.D dissertation, Boston University, 1984 (not available online).

Alexander Parris Digital Project