Erected in 1769, the Old Brick Schoolhouse made history in 1828 when it became a public school for pupils of color, known then as the Meeting Street Grammar School. And it was a Black woman, Elizabeth Howland Smith, nee Brown, whose rigorous educational standards as teacher and principal brought honor to both the school and …
The Providence Preservation Society (PPS) has announced its Most Endangered Properties for 2023. This year’s list puts a focus on publicly-owned buildings, an effort to emphasize the urgency of decades of deferred maintenance, neglect, or under-utilization that is reaching a critical point. The Humboldt Fire Station was built in 1906 . . . [and] decommissioned …
(11.15) Make way for the Wayland Condominium Development and more of that cheesy, modular crap getting thrown up all around town. Unfortunately, developers want to demolish the existing 19th-century building. (McBride’s Pub will stay.) From the Providence Preservation Society: Myles Standish Associates on behalf of Capstone Properties will appear before the City Planning Commission to …
“WTF are you guys doing!” The Providence Preservation Society has lost at least one member; architecture critic David Brusatt has tendered his resignation in response to PPS plans for a glass-and-steel addition to the back of their own headquarters, the Old Brick School House built in 1769. From his website Architecture Here and There: That …
Addition To Old Brick School House Raises Hackles Read More »
New to the Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Properties List this year is the Providence Gas Purifier House. Most recently, the first floor of this imposing brick pile on Allens Avenue housed Sin Desserts (since relocated to Westminster Street). Built in 1899, the Purifier House originally served the process of coal burning gas production for …
The Providence Preservation Society (PPS) has issued its 2022 Most Endangered Properties List with some first-time entries like the Tockwotton Fox Point Cape Verdean Community and the Urban League of Rhode Island building, as well as some perennials like the Superman Building, the Broad Street Synagogue, and the Cathedral of St. John. In the spotlight …
PPS Issues 2022 ‘Most Endangered Properties List’ Read More »
(9.10) Sounds like the Providence Preservation Society has been cleaning out the attic. The result is this one-of-a-kind art sale: We will be selling a variety of art from our archives (like vintage Festival of Historic Houses posters and photographs from our 20th anniversary MEP retrospective) plus other items like books, craft supplies and more! …
The City Plan Commission will be holding a public information meeting in August for a major land development project in Wayland Square on the site of the former funeral home at 230 Waterman Street. The proposal includes demolition of the existing 1892 building (unprotected because it is not part of a local historic district) and …
Every year the Providence Preservation Society (PPS) solicits nominations for its Most Endangered Properties List from the general public. They may have missed a gem in your neighborhood. Each year, the Providence Preservation Society seeks nominations from the public for our Most Endangered Properties list. Our annual list draws attention to buildings and places great …
The Jewelry District Association and the Providence Preservation Society are both coming out against a proposed apartment building downtown on Chestnut Street. Architecture critic Will Morgan writes: The student apartment block proposed for 155 Chestnut Street in the Jewelry District was a bad idea at first, and little–not even lopping the height from twelve stories …
Look at this gem. The Providence Preservation Society (PPS) has issued its Most Endangered Properties List for 2021. It includes some returning favorites and a few new entries. New this year is the c. 1880 house at 234 Lenox Avenue and the PPS isn’t altogether sure what it’s doing there: Historical maps show that the …
The Providence Preservation Society brings this to our attention: The Congdon Street Baptist Church, the oldest surviving African American church in the city, is raising funds for much-needed capital improvements. Completed and dedicated in 1875, the earlier congregation had to contend with troublesome neighbors early on. A period of prosperity was followed by a period …
Last month we highlighted the 1931 State Board of Public Roads building on Arline Street, but this year’s Most Endangered Properties List from the Providence Preservation Society also includes some less conventional entries: the Axelrod music sign, and the property pictured here, the iconic Crook Point Bascule Bridge which RIDOT has slated for demolition. Word …
The most difficult entries in the Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Properties list usually suffer from one of two problems: bad location, unwieldy size (and sometimes both — the Broad Street Synagogue comes to mind). But neither problem afflicts the former State Board of Public Roads Building (1931) on Arline Street. This neighborhood is coming …
Endangered Property — Art Deco Gem On Smith Hill Read More »
The Providence Preservation Society has released its latest Most Endangered Properties List. New this year is the Axelrod Music neon sign from the ’50s. Locally, musician and violin dealer Abraham Axelrod established a music store in 1910; by 1913 he opened a shop at the Arcade. Then by mid-century, he moved down the street to …
Do you keep driving by a seemingly unloved, ramshackle building thinking, someone should do something with that? Then the Providence Preservation Society wants to hear from you. They may not have that particular gem on their radar, so go here to make a nomination on the PPS 2020 Most Endangered Properties form. Nominations are due …
PPS Wants Noms — Most Endangered Properties List Read More »