Preservation Society of Newport County receives prestigious award from Garden Club of America

The Preservation Society of Newport County has received the prestigious Garden Club of America Historic Preservation Medal for 2021, recognizing the Society’s “outstanding achievements in preserving historic homes, gardens, and landscapes of international historical, cultural, and architectural significance.”

The award was presented during a virtual gathering hosted by Garden Club of America President Debbie Edwards on Wednesday, May 12. The Newport Garden Club nominated the Preservation Society for this honor.

“There are transformative events in the life of every organization, and receiving the Garden Club of America’s Historic Preservation Medal is one such event,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO and executive director of the Preservation Society, in accepting the award. “That an esteemed organization such as the GCA would put its faith and trust in ours tells the world that our mission – to preserve, protect and present three centuries of American architecture, historic landscapes and gardens – is a noble one. Our treasures matter.”

The Preservation Society has a long history of preserving and rehabilitating historic landscapes and gardens, including the restoration of the Sunken Garden at The Elms; rejuvenating the Rose Garden at Rosecliff; the ongoing revival of the historic Breakers landscape, including the Serpentine Path; the continuing preservation of Green Animals Topiary Garden in Portsmouth; and the Society’s accreditation as an arboretum by the Arbnet Arboretum Accreditation program in 2015.

The Society also hosts the annual Newport Flower Show, which draws top expert speakers as well as professional and amateur gardeners from around the world.

The Preservation Society joins the ranks of past GCA award winners such as Lady Bird Johnson, Laura Bush and Rachel Carson, as well as past Historic Preservation Medalists including the USS Constitution Museum, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, businessman and preservationist Richard Hampton Jenrette, and Rhode Island architectural historian Antoinette F. Downing.