The Ocean Grill at The Dunes ClubNarragansett, Rhode Island
The Dunes Club is a fashionable beach club on the ocean in southern Rhode Island. Its handsome clubhouse was built in 1939 to replace an earlier structure that had been destroyed in the 1938 hurricane, and it was designed by Philadelphia architect Thomas Pym Cope in a somewhat rustic yet sophisticated style with traces of detailing from Art Deco and Art Moderne architecture. About 15 years ago, a snack bar wing in a fairly utilitarian manner to include the Ocean Grill, an informal dining room. As time passed, this Ocean Grill became the primary dining room used by club members and because of this, Clifford Renshaw Architects was asked to reimagine this space so that its character, on the exterior and on the interior, would better reflect the fine quality of the original clubhouse architecture. The design as executed was enthusiastically received, and this space has now become perhaps the most popular feature of the clubhouse.