Tag Archives: Providence RI

Neighbors win third straight

Posted on October 11, 2020 by

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 →

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More pause please, Newport

Posted on September 14, 2020 by

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 →

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New and old on Westminster

Posted on September 11, 2020 by

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 →

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Still attacking Kennedy Plaza

Posted on August 31, 2020 by

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 →

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Creative capitulation in Prov

Posted on August 12, 2020 by

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 →

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History as cottage industry

Posted on July 29, 2020 by

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 →

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Speak for history on Monday

Posted on July 26, 2020 by

The Providence Historic District Commission will meet tomorrow, Monday, July 27 at 4:30 p.m., via Zoom, to decide the fate of Providence. That does not overstate the case. If the commission approves moving the historic cottage at 159 Williams Street, … Continue reading →

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Subdivide history? Bad idea

Posted on July 12, 2020 by

The first blocks of William and John streets off Benefit Street, where College Hill meets Fox Point, are steeped not only in history but historical character. Most of the houses on these and nearby blocks were built in the late … Continue reading →

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Protect the statues, please!

Posted on June 27, 2020 by

The statue of Christopher Columbus in Providence has been defaced in 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Yesterday, amid American history’s most perfervid bout of iconoclasm, the statue was removed by the city for its protection. The municipal government of … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art and design | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

Providence dodges a bullet

Posted on June 7, 2020 by

Providence dodged a bullet last Tuesday morning. That’s the good news. For all the horrifying videotape, rioters managed to do little real damage to downtown. Lots of glass was broken, boosting the local glass and plywood industries. There were a … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments