Historic Walking Tours of Narragansett Pier
Treasures The Towers HD map
Left: The Casino ballroom as depicted on a postcard postdated in 1911. Right: The Casino bandstand and grounds
The Towers
35 Ocean Road
The Towers, the lone remnant of the Narragansett Pier Casino, is a Rhode Island icon.
Built between 1883 and 1886, The Casino was the center of social life in Narragansett during the
late 1800s. It was designed by the architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, which later
became widely known and admired for their beaux-arts designs.
The Narragansett Pier Casino rivaled the Newport Casino’s popularity as a resort for the social
elite, offering a variety of sports, including boating, tennis, billiards, bowling, cards, and shooting,
plus restaurants, stores, reading rooms, a theater, a bandstand, a ballroom, and a beautiful beach.
The Narragansett Pier Casino thrived during the Gilded Age until it burned down during the Great
Fire of September 12, 1900. The fire started in the neighboring Rockingham Hotel and spread
quickly to the Casino, leaving only the granite walls of The Towers standing.
Casino entrance, c. 1895
Today, having survived a number of disasters, including fires, nor'easters and hurricanes, the
Narragansett Towers hosts social events of all kinds, including weddings, dances, dinners,
meetings and fashion shows.
The Narragansett Chamber of Commerce visitor center moved into the Towers, located at the
ground level on the ocean side of Ocean Road, in April 1937.
More: The official site · Wikipedia · Description and history