Brand new and modern is cool, but old school and historic has its perks, too.

A tavern in Newport, Rhode Island has been in operation since 1673, making it the oldest restaurant in the country.

Walking through the front door is like taking a step back in time at The White Horse Tavern.

The History of White Horse Tavern

Before you even enter the building, the White Horse Tavern on Marlborough Street has some serious curb appeal. The building is quintessential colonial Newport and a beautiful illustration of 17th-century architecture.

According to the restaurant, White Horse Tavern is the oldest operating restaurant in the country and the 10^th oldest in the world. It is a National Historic Landmark that has been serving guests since 1673.

Originally constructed as a two-story, two-room residence in 1652, William Mayes, Sr. converted the home into a tavern in 1673.

“For almost 100 years, this large and comfortable tavern was the meeting place of the Colony’s General Assembly, Criminal Court, and City Council,” said the restaurant.

The property was acquired by the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1954 and was beautifully restored, saving the historic tavern from demolition. By 1972, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

READ MORE: Introducing New Bedford’s New Basement Bar

What to Expect at White Horse Tavern

The restaurant may be over 350 years old, but the experience is far from outdated. Expect a contemporary, culinary experience thanks to Executive Chef Kevin DeMarco as you enjoy your meal in a charming, colonial setting.

The tavern prides itself on serving fish, clams, and lobsters straight from Narragansett Bay, and high-quality ingredients from local farms.

“We’re proud to embrace Rhode Island’s vibrant food scene, which made the White Horse Tavern a New England destination,” said the tavern.

The Warwick-based company that previously worked on the westbound Washington Bridge before its sudden closure last December is the state’s choice to tear it down.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s (RIDOT) public bid portal Friday afternoon revealed Aetna Bridge Co. was awarded a tentative contract to demolish the bridge by March 2025.

Aetna was one of two vendors that responded to RIDOT’s request for proposals. The other bidder was Manafort Brothers Inc., headquartered in Plainville, Connecticut, but has an office in Cumberland.

Manafort will receive $100,000 as part of the state’s incentive to attract bidders.

Aetna estimated the cost to demolish the bridge was $45.8 million — over $5 million more than the state’s price tag. Manafort’s bid was for $43.8 million. The overall cost to demolish and rebuild the westbound highway over the Seekonk River is tagged at over $400 million.

A technical review group found that Aetna’s plan was overall a better value and at they indicated they could do the work in 50 days fewer than the bid request asked for, said RIDOT Communications Director Liz Pettengill.

“Secondly, they are assuming all the risk,” she said.

The demolition process is divided into four parts: the Gano Street ramp, west end of the bridge, east cantilever spans, and east end of the structure. The initial RFP noted that the existing substructure “shall remain in place for the potential repair and reuse” in the reconstruction of the bridge.

RIDOT plans to impose a $30,000 daily “disincentive” if Aetna misses the March 20, 2025 completion date. Meanwhile, the department is still soliciting bids for the roughly $368 million contract to rebuild a new bridge by August 2026.

Final bids are due July 3.

Aetna had previously worked on the now-canceled $78 million rehabilitation of the Washington Bridge as part of a design-build team led by Barletta Heavy Division. The project came to a stop after engineers last December discovered broken anchor rods that put the westbound lanes of I-195 at risk of collapse.

The company was also one of 12 contractors that received a letter from lawyers for Gov. Dan McKee’s administration notifying them that they may be sued over Washington Bridge work. 

“Aetna Bridge Company is proud to be identified as the ‘apparent best value respondent’ by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation,” Aetna spokesperson Frank McMahon said in an emailed statement.

“With over 79 years of experience in bridge construction, repair, and demolition, our team is ready to get to work on this critical transportation infrastructure project for the State of Rhode Island,” he continued 

Aetna is also working on the ongoing rehabilitation of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge linking New London and Groton, Connecticut, via I-95. That project is expected to be completed June 25, 2025, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

There will be a lone scheduled rematch of last year’s Atlantic 10 women’s basketball title game, and the University of Rhode Island will play it on the road. 

The Rams will visit Richmond at a date and time to be determined. That’s courtesy of conference schedule pairings that were released Thursday afternoon. 

The Spiders and VCU should offer a pair of rugged road tests after finishing a combined 31-5 in league play last season. URI also visits Davidson, Fordham and St. Bonaventure for single contests. Jim Crowley enters his second year of this stint with the Bonnies – he returned to Olean for 2022-23 after seven seasons at Providence. 

Saint Joseph’s sets up as a headlining single home game for the Rams. The Hawks closed 15-3 in league play last year and have played in two straight postseasons. Dayton, La Salle, George Washington and Loyola Chicago will also visit Kingston. 

More: URI men’s basketball faces rough road schedule in 2023-24

URI’s home-and-home opponents include a pair of teams who contended for a conference title last season. George Mason closed 14-4 and Duquesne was one game behind at 13-5. Saint Louis and regional rival Massachusetts both finished in the bottom half of the standings – the Minutewomen struggled to a 2-16 mark after Tory Verdi qualified for three straight postseasons and left for Pittsburgh. 

The Rams never quite hit full stride prior to March last season, finishing 21-14 overall and 10-8 in league play. A home win over No. 25 Princeton was followed by road losses to Providence and St. John’s, two defeats that damaged URI’s postseason chances. The Rams took out Dayton, Saint Joseph’s and Saint Louis in the conference tournament before suffering a 65-51 defeat to Richmond in the title round. 

URI and the rest of the league will return to the Henrico Sports & Events Center from March 5-9 for the second straight edition of the league championship. The facility secured hosting rights after two previous years at Chase Fieldhouse in Delaware. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25