The Edgewood Yacht Club has held a prominent place in the community for decades, providing a sailing center and social venue for multiple generations in Cranston, Warwick and beyond.

Over its 130-year history, the club has also seen more than its share of adversity. The original clubhouse, built in 1889, was destroyed in a fire just a few years later. A second building, constructed in 1908, withstood major hurricanes in 1938 and 1954 before it too was lost to fire amid a heavy snowstorm in January 2011.

After that disaster, the club vowed to rally and rebuilt.

“Generations before us cleaned out the clubhouse, patched together their boats and sailed on,” former commodore Jeff Lanphear wrote in a letter to members after the 2011 blaze. “It is our call to rebuild and preserve the spirit of the Edgewood Yacht Club and to restore our former clubhouse’s majestic legacy to our waterfront.”

Now, thanks to the unyielding spirit of the club members and the efforts of many, the rising of a new clubhouse from the ashes is closer than ever.

On Sunday, club and community members gathered for a ceremonial “groundbreaking” at the once and future clubhouse site.

A crane is on site to begin pile testing and driving as a $4.7-million rebuilding project gets under way. The new facility – to be two stories high with a wraparound porch, much like the former building – represents a partnership with Brown University and its sailing program.

Some details have yet to be finalized, and fundraising remains ongoing, but backers are optimistic and foresee the project being completed by this time next year.

That is wonderful news for Edgewood, Pawtuxet, and the greater communities in which those neighborhoods lie. In the aftermath of the 2011 fire, many rightly noted the clubhouse was a local icon. That is true in terms of both its place in the physical landscape of our coastline, and its role in creating priceless memories for countless residents over the years.

The return of the clubhouse will be most welcome, and truly a reason to celebrate. We applaud all those whose efforts led to Sunday’s groundbreaking, and look forward to watching a vital piece of our heritage proudly rise again to its rightful place above the water.