My Summer Home in Watch Hill
Ro An Ro House circa 1970
From 1956 to 1975 my maternal grandparents owned and managed a guest house on 5 Bay Street in Watch Hill. The Ro An Ro House (an abbreviation of the first names of the ladies of the family) was truly magical for me. Its entry was met with a massive, mahogany staircase leading to 17 distinctive guest rooms, with or without bathrooms, but all filled with glorious antiques acquired over the years. As a child, we welcomed guests each summer from neighboring Connecticut and New York, and Florida. Ladies roamed the village in Lily Pulitzer-esque dresses and gentlemen in Madras blazers and Bermuda shorts. The main storefront of the guest house was owned by Palm Beach socialite and clothing designer, Tat Saunders, whose sophisticated apparel and accessory designs were perfect for summer parties around the “cottages” and Watch Hill Yacht Club fetes.
Tat Saunders Designs
My earliest memories of this summer childhood paradise started in the mid to late 60’s. My parents would take my siblings and me down “the beach” where we lived in an adjacent addition to the house. My brother, cousins and I would slide down the staircase on our rear-ends and greeted all the visitors. We got to know all the guests and summer regulars who came back year after year. These folks became part of our extended family. There was the couple from Waterbury, CT, Ralph and Doris, who drove up each Memorial Day in their mint, white convertible Cadillac with fire engine red interior. It had a horn that when “honked” played a musical jingle as they cruised around town. Tat Saunders would live in the premium suite as she ran the store below. My grandmother had her daily needs ingrained. Breakfast was a perfect soft-boiled egg served in a delicate egg cup along with her toast which had to be sliced in 4 columns, not squares. She would take her tea at 2pm sharp, no exceptions.
Watch Hill back then, and to some extent even now, conveyed simple elegance. It was modest, less traveled than the flashier Newport, Hamptons or Cape Cod. The homes were expansive to accommodate generations of families, but not ostentatious, built to reflect the simple charm of New England with shingles weathered over time. The village featured a modest row of ever-changing storefronts, selling gifts and beach attire, but The Candy Box, Bait & Tackle, St. Clair Ice Cream Shop, and the Olympia Tea Room returned every summer. The Tea Room was the only “fine” restaurant in the village, and was a regular jaunt for our summer guests, village residents and those coming to shore from their yachts after a day’s sail. And the main attraction for us back then was the Watch Hill Merry-Go-Round, said to be the oldest continuously operating carousel in America, surviving even the deadly hurricane of 1938.
Best of Watch Hill
We walked to East Beach each day, riding the waves all afternoon until we couldn’t breathe, and sun-tanned (no sunscreen back then) until our skin hurt. Home for a quick shower and dinner outside—usually macaroni and meatballs. We are Italian-American, and everyone knows there is nothing better than Grandma’s pasta enjoyed al-fresco after a day on the beach.
After dinner, we leisurely strolled the Watch Hill Village for a couple of rides on the Carousel, eagerly hoping to catch the gold ring for a free ride. On the way back we stopped by St. Clair Annex for homemade ice cream while admiring the massive yellow waterfront hotel, Ocean House. The “grown-ups” would often go there to dance to live bands on the ballroom veranda, until the hotel was literally crumbling and rumored to be a serious fire trap. When I see its grandeur today, I am grateful for it having been elegantly restored and enjoying its newer majestic life in full swing.
The Ro An Ro was sold in 1975, and now stands as the Watch Hill Harbour House. My grandparents remained in the area, and have since passed, but my family and I return each summer and reminisce. My son grew up enjoying the carousel, homemade ice cream and the beach. My dear friend from Brooklyn takes the Amtrak up to Westerly Station on Saturdays, where I pick her up in time for brunch at the Cooked Goose. We head to the beach and then enjoy the sunsets from the Olympia Tea Room veranda over fresh pasta and a bottle of Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc. I’m thankful the restaurant has weathered the ages with grace.
I am truly grateful for the sweet memories of my youth in the village of Watch Hill. It represents family, natural beauty, and general sense of well-being. It’s become more popular over the years, but to me it will always be classic and sweet. Enchanting, really.
The original sign was lovingly restored in 2019 by Jayson Salvi in Providence.