New apartments downtown!

Tiny Merchants Bank Building next to Textron Building, seen from across Providence River. (ricurrency.com)

Tiny Merchants Bank Building next to Textron Building, seen from across Providence River. (ricurrency.com)

Our mini-Flatiron Building. (photosynth.net)

Our mini-Flatiron Building. (photosynth.net)

I have received an anonymous tip that the Mercants Bank Building, our mini-Flatiron brownstone “tower” opposite the Turk’s Head Building across the intersection of Westminster and Weybosset, is being renovated for apartments or condos. Excellent! Considering the units in rehabbed buildings (and possible new ones) being developed by Buff Chace, maybe this city is indeed headed for a re-renaissance!

David Brussat's avatarArchitecture Here and There

Upper portion of door surround at 32 Custom House St. Upper portion of door surround at 32 Custom House St.

Monday evening’s meeting of the Downtown Design Review Committee relieved concerns that one must feel upon news that a graceful old building is being renovated. Who knows what evil could be afoot. But the applicant, HM Ventures 7, of Brooklyn, seems to have only good things in mind, more restoration than renovation outside. The building at 32 Custom House St., built in 1875 and known as the Real Estate Title Insurance Building, will host 10 apartments and a ground floor shop or restaurant. Bravo!

Below this post are a few photos I took of the building last week.

Proposed garage in middle between proposed student dorm and existing South Street Station. (gcpvd.org) Proposed garage in middle between proposed student dorm and existing South Street Station. (gcpvd.org)

That’s the good news from that meeting. Before I spring the bad news on readers, note that it is now the Downtown Design Review Committee, not the Downcity…

View original post 430 more words

Unknown's avatar

About David Brussat

This blog was begun in 2009 as a feature of the Providence Journal, where I was on the editorial board and wrote a weekly column of architecture criticism for three decades. Architecture Here and There fights the style wars for classical architecture and against modern architecture, no holds barred. History Press asked me to write and in August 2017 published my first book, "Lost Providence." I am now writing my second book. My freelance writing on architecture and other topics addresses issues of design and culture locally and globally. I am a member of the board of the New England chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, which bestowed an Arthur Ross Award on me in 2002. I work from Providence, R.I., where I live with my wife Victoria, my son Billy and our cat Gato. If you would like to employ my writing and editing to improve your work, please email me at my consultancy, dbrussat@gmail.com, or call 401.351.0457. Testimonial: "Your work is so wonderful - you now enter my mind and write what I would have written." - Nikos Salingaros, mathematician at the University of Texas, architectural theorist and author of many books.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.