A decision has been made. The 195 District Commission recently passed a resolution selecting the Providence Art and Design Center proposal from Ionic Development for developing Parcel 5, the property bounded by Wickenden, South Water, Dollar, and South Main Streets. The Providence Preservation Society has this information:
Kaitlin McCarthy, founder and CEO of Ionic Development, discussed the firm’s plan to fill the various retail spaces with a mix of local and national tenants. . . .“Providence has a cultural plan, and that cultural plan is to create a destination for art and culture,” McCarthy said.
“That’s 18,000 plus jobs alone in Providence in the creative sector, which brings me to our mission statement, to create an art and design-focused destination that provides home ownership, delivers on the mission of the 195 Innovation and Design District, and maximizes the Creative Capital concentrated in the city of Providence,” she continued. “This is more than just an apartment building. We’re creating a destination, and we’re helping to build on the energy that’s already in this district and help push it forward.”
18,000 jobs . . . in the the creative sector?! That’s roughly 9% of the population of Providence.
From my post at the time of the initial proposal:
Personally, I would take an emery board to the pointy towers. They look cartoony and the oddly-placed windows are no help. But that seems fixable, and I do like the effect of the inner pedestrian streets and the mid-block connection, not just for the practical short-cuts they provide, but for the pleasing meeting places that could result. The image of the side with the residential units looks better.
(At the time of this writing there is no mention of Parcel 5 at the 195 District website under “Projects” or “Latest News.” The commission passed its resolution on March 12.)
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Parcel 5. In local parlance, where the sunflowers used to be.
