Rhode Island residents will soon be able to own a piece of the white Georgia marble that was originally destined for our beautiful State House. Farm Fresh RI will be hosting a one-of-a-kind event that celebrates history, art, and community with rescued pieces of this special marble: ‘Own a Piece of Rhode Island State House History’ has all the details.
These marble pieces are the remnants that never left the stone yard which stood on the corner of Sims and Kinsley Avenues over a hundred years ago. This is where Farm Fresh RI now stands and they have a sale coming up. The pieces come in many sizes and shapes, mostly raw, but some have been enhanced by artists. Seen here is the work of local artist David Allyn who has silk-screened an image of the State House under construction onto the marble. (He has 11 pieces for sale but can take orders. The stand is included.) How did this come about?
In 2017, Farm Fresh purchased the 3-acre Sims Avenue site for their new facility and as excavation got underway the team kept hitting pieces and piles of marble that had lain buried for over 100 years. Unbeknownst to the Farm Fresh people, the site had once been owned by Norcross Brothers, the stone yard and mill company that was building the new State House on Smith Street. Somehow they found a place to store the marble pieces — while they built the new Farm Fresh building — until they figured out what to do with it all. Several of the bigger pieces can be been found outside Farm Fresh serving as benches. And now we have this fun idea.
Open House: Thursday, June 8, 10am to 4pm. No sales.
Public sales: 6pm to 8pm, Friday, June 9/ 10am to 4pm, Saturday, June 10/noon to 4pm, Sunday, June 11.
[Note: 50 Sims Avenue is right next to Farm Fresh RI’s headquarters.]
Farm Fresh RI staff member Lucie Searle remarked on this extraordinary opportunity to own a piece of RI State House history, noting that “our magnificent Capitol building is nationally recognized as an iconic marble masterpiece! Imagine our surprise and delight at finding this buried treasure as we undertook construction.”
Open House, Thursday, June 8, 50 Sims Avenue, (directions)
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Here is a bin of the rough-and-ready chunks and slabs.
Local stone cutter Larry Camara of American Granite turned these pieces into . . . planters? bird baths? ashtrays? guacamole bowls?!
Well done Norcross Brothers . . . it came out real nice.