architecture

Wickenden Street Under Threat

The architectural quirkiness and traditional character of the Wickenden streetscape continue to be threatened. Plans to raze the buildings at 269 (seen here) and the adjacent 249 Wickenden Street and replace them with yet another generic, cheesy-looking mixed-use box, passed a first hurdle Tuesday with the Providence City Plan Commission. Members of the Fox Point …

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‘Anytown Architecture’ Everywhere All At Once

There is some comfort in knowing that this crappy generic architecture is a countrywide problem — maybe there will be enough push-back to force these developers back to the drawing board. Providence residents have started noticing how the cheesy sameness of these new buildings is blighting the streetscapes of the city. In “America, the Bland” …

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‘Rhody Love Notes’ At Doors Open RI

Doors Open RI has launched a photo sharing site for people who like taking and sharing photos of places they love around the state. Go to Rhody Loves Notes to find out how and where to join in. Not much to it really; just share your Love Note using the hashtag #rhodylovenotes on Facebook, Instagram, …

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Neutra Documentary At List Art Center

(12.4) In the mid-1930’s John Nicholas Brown II and his wife Anne set out to change society by embracing modernism and commissioning Richard Neutra’s first building on the East Coast. The house, known as Windshield for its enormous “seamless” windows, was Neutra’s first East Coast commission. Filmmaker Elissa Brown tells the story of her grandparents’ …

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Meet David Brussat — BotS

(9.7) Former ProJo architecture critic David Brussat will be at Books on the Square Thursday to talk about his book “Lost Providence.” Providence has one of the nation’s most intact historic downtowns and is one of America’s most beautiful cities. The history of architectural change in the city is one of lost buildings, urban renewal …

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WaterFire Arts Center Ribbon Cutting

(6.19) This building is almost entirely windows with some brickwork in between to hold the structure up. The WaterFire Arts Center website explains how this excessive fenestration served the needs of the original U.S. Rubber Company: The WFAC has a great number of large windows. This allowed the maximum amount of natural sunlight to enter …

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More Free Tours Of Superman Building

[Update: As of 11:43am all three dates have sold out.] Tickets become available starting 11am today, Tuesday. Do not delay. The last time the building owners offered tours, the 200 available slots were snapped up in under two hours. According to the Providence Journal, The tours, which will last about an hour and a half, …

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Art & Architecture Book Sale — Rochambeau Saturday

The Friends of Rochambeau are holding a mini book sale featuring near-mint books on art and architecture. Also on sale, “1000s of newly donated CDs.” This is a great idea. People looking for art books will appreciate not having to wade through all the other stuff — a big art sale is coming up at …

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Arnold Building Open House

(5.12) The George C. Arnold Building is 12 feet wide and it’s all fixed up now. The rehabilitation of this unique edifice will be celebrated with an open house on Thursday, May 12. The event includes an exhibit of large scale paintings, ‘Reconstructed.’ (Facebook event.) RECONSTRUCTED proudly showcases four local artist creating large scale paintings …

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It’s The Warner Bridge, Or Leave It Be

And the honor should not be shared. (State politics being what they are, that needed saying.) Two proposals for renaming the IWay Bridge have been introduced to the Senate Committee for Special Legislation. According to the Providence Journal, “It’s not something I am going to cause a stink about,” said Sen. Josh Miller, D-Cranston, on …

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Brutal

Congratulations to Journal staff writer John Hill who managed to find someone willing to speak in defense of the Fogarty Building, now slated for demolition. (ProJo 1.9.16) . . . Ned Connors, an architect and historian of the Weybosset urban renewal project, says he will miss the Fogarty building. It’s not ugly, he said, it’s …

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