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Tag Archives: Providence RI
Why are post offices lovely?
I speak out in praise of my friend and fellow Rhode Island architecture critic William Morgan’s “In Praise of the Post Office.” In this recent article for GoLocalProv.com, Morgan writes: The physical post office is the embodiment of the miracle. … Continue reading
Why historic preservation?
I just got through watching the Providence Historic Preservation Commission grant conceptual approval to the renovation and expansion of a charming little Italianate cottage on Williams Street, just off the city’s historic Benefit Street. It was a most depressing event. … Continue reading
Kennedy Plaza is still at risk
Efforts by the city and state governments to make Kennedy Plaza ugly have not yet succeeded in making it fail. But the attempt to ruin the central public square of Providence is ongoing. The plaza’s beauty has diminished greatly since … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Development
Tagged Arup, Bill Warner, Kennedy Plaza, Providence RI, RIDOT, River Relocation Project, Transit Planning, Urban Planning, Waterplace Park
6 Comments
Goofy new RW Park “gateway”
Leafing through the November issue of Providence Monthly, I was dismayed to stumble across a short piece, “Gateway to Change,” by Elyse Major, illustrating a gaudy new portal and visitors center planned for the Broad Street entrance to the city’s … Continue reading
Neighbors win third straight
It may not yet be three strikes you’re out for the developers, but neighbors who want to preserve their little nook of history just off Benefit Street have persuaded the Providence Historic Preservation Commission that a plan to plop modern … Continue reading
More pause please, Newport
Faced with a development proposal to replace the Newport Grand casino, the City by the Sea recently placed a moratorium on development in order to suck its elegant thumb about its development guidelines. Bloomberg CityLab published a lengthy article, “History … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Development
Tagged Alex Ulam, Bauhaus, Bloomberg CityLab, Carpionato Group, City Planning, Newport Grand, Newport RI, Patricia Reynolds, Providence RI, Tourism
4 Comments
New and old on Westminster
Several years in the making, renovations on downtown’s Westminster Street between Union and Mathewson are almost done. It will take more time, and possibly the extirpation of coronavirus “and stuff” (as my son puts it), for the buildings to be … Continue reading
Still attacking Kennedy Plaza
A sensible plan to renovate Kennedy Plaza attractively without evicting public transit from Providence’s central square – by far its most logical location – was submitted in 2013, designed by Union Studio. In 2015, this plan was frog-marched out of … Continue reading
Creative capitulation in Prov
In recent decades, art in Providence has served as a wrecking ball aimed not just at beauty but at the very concept of art, in a city that depends on art for its historical character, even as it brands itself … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Art and design, Providence
Tagged Antifa, art, Culture, Gillian Christy, Providence RI, RIDOT Bus Shelters, Steven Siegel, The Avenue Concept
12 Comments
History as cottage industry
Monday’s meeting via Zoom of the Providence Historic District Commission surprised observers by delaying an expected vote to approve the relocation of a historic Italianate cottage on Williams Street, on College Hill. This was the second straight delay. That does … Continue reading
