The thought that seals were ever forced to live in this murky freshwater pond is horrifying. But that’s all in the past and now the concern is for the deteriorating architectural oddity called the Seal House. The Providence Preservation Society has just released its 2012 ‘Ten Most Endangered Properties’ list and this is one of the new additions.
The Roger Williams Park Seal House was constructed in 1938 along with a monkey house and an elephant house as part of a Works Progress Administration project. The stone structure echoes rustic WPA designs built throughout the country during the Great Depression. This unique building has been unused since the Zoo consolidated in the early 1970s. With its stone chimney crumbling, copper flashing falling off, and slate roof failing, the Seal House sits in poor condition. Located directly adjacent to Roosevelt Lake, the stone walls at the base of the building are slowly eroding.
Detail of chimney after the jump.
The Seal House, Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Avenue
