Tag Archives: Zoning

Not over till fat lady sings

Posted on May 16, 2018 by

High-fives aplenty greeted last night’s vote by the City Plan Commission to urge the city council to reject the Fane tower. The commission wisely ignored its staff’s argument that a 600-foot tower in a 100-foot zone is consistent with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 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 →

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

Two attacks on the East Side

Posted on January 27, 2018 by

These two really ugly new buildings on Providence’s storied East Side reveal a thoughtlessness and lack of consideration on the part of two highly respected private schools. People walking or driving by Moses Brown or the Lincoln School must wonder … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Brief interlude at the DNA

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

When I was “Dr. Downtown” – my nom de plume at the Providence Journal – I was there at the creation of the Downtown Neighborhood Alliance, which met at the Regency under the presidency of my friend Maria Ruggieri, the … Continue reading →

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History survives in Houston

Posted on August 30, 2017 by

For many people, I suppose, Houston brings to mind tall glass towers sitting cheek by jowl with small gas stations and grandfathered (if not exactly grandfatherly) shops. Its historic character was submerged long before Hurricane Harvey. Zoning is a free-for-all … Continue reading →

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Unwelcome Arnold House?

Posted on May 25, 2017 by

Is the Welcome Arnold House (circa 1785), on Planet Street in Fox Point, doomed to demolition by neglect? That’s the question posed by Catherine Zipf’s architecture column in today’s Providence Journal. She wonders whether its owner, Walter Bronhard, intends to … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Preservation, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Living beyond the Chrysler

Posted on May 1, 2017 by

With the new looser height restrictions in Manhattan’s Midtown East, it looks as if people with condos atop new towers soon to be built will be able to look down their noses from the clouds above the crown of the … Continue reading →

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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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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 →

Posted in Architects, Providence | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Column: The easy way to build on R.I.’s assets

Posted on March 13, 2014 by

Almost all cities and states have policies intended to strengthen their economies by building on their assets. Most fail because they reject easy strategies and embrace difficult strategies. Two recent Commentary pieces in The Providence Journal address this issue: “Wise … Continue reading →

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