Tag Archives: City Plan Commission

Showdown on Blackstone

Posted on January 10, 2019 by

Next Tuesday’s 4:45 p.m. meeting of the City Plan Commission may tell whether Providence and its citizens can preserve its historical character. A developer wants to demolish the mansion, outbuildings and grounds of the Beresford-Nicholson estate on Blackstone Boulevard, and … Continue reading →

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Save the carriage house, too

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

The carriage house and servants’ quarters at 315 Slater Ave. is among the outbuildings that would be demolished along with the Beresford-Nicholson house, on the East Side of Providence, if the city approves a proposed major subdivision of the estate … Continue reading →

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Meanwhile, on Blackstone

Posted on December 17, 2018 by

A third effort to transform a historic Providence estate into a collection of big cheesy houses has emerged along Blackstone Boulevard. Readers will recall when neighborhood opposition in 2014 thwarted a division of the Granoff estate into ten lots, at … Continue reading →

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The Journal’s angry editorial

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

The Providence Journal today published an editorial, “Saying no to a bold future,” that castigates opponents of the proposed Fane tower as “insiders,” a term usually applied to those who manipulate the system to benefit the few at the expense … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Fane’s Copycat Point Tower

Posted on April 25, 2018 by

The new design for Jason Fane’s Hope Point Tower might be separated at birth from MAD Architects’ Absolute Towers, outside Toronto. But it’s not really a separated-at-birth shot but a before-and-after shot – two buildings in a heightened state of … Continue reading →

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Throop Alley & other tidbits

Posted on February 14, 2018 by

An agenda item for an upcoming meeting brought home to me the sadness and even the anger attending some of the more pernicious projects being sold around here as “economic development.” The agenda for the Tuesday, Feb. 20 meeting of … Continue reading →

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Assault on history at Brown

Posted on December 19, 2017 by

This afternoon, Providence’s City Plan Commission heard Brown University officials propose to move one and raze four historic buildings to make way for a new performing arts center with a concert hall rumored large enough to swallow the nearby Granoff … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Bodell estate shenanigans

Posted on September 23, 2016 by

So, a little dip into the tall grass of small development. Question of the day: Where is the line between a major and a minor property subdivision? On Tuesday night there was again no quorum at the City Plan Commission … Continue reading →

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Bodell subdivide on Tuesday

Posted on September 18, 2016 by

Just a reminder that the City Plan Commission is scheduled to have the proposed subdivision of the Bodell estate on its agenda this coming Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., at the planning department on 444 Westminster Street. The address of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Providence | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The next Blackstone battle?

Posted on August 14, 2016 by

The headline refers to the failed effort, in 2014, to divide up the Granoff estate. The property behind it, 25 Balton Rd., has the same dark cloud gathering over it. Many people are familiar with the Bodell mansion from having … Continue reading →

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