Downtown – Providence, Rhode Island
Providence provided a nice opportunity for a return visit in June 2014 after I completed my training with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Historic Real Estate Finance. The location of the state capitol, I was pleased to have an opportunity to visit and be given a behind-the-scenes tour.
Waterplace Park was built by leadership from Mayor “Buddy” Cianci. This further served to catalyze other public and private reinvestment. Shiny new buildings are balanced well with historic fabric.
Public art accents public spaces nicely in Providence. This kinetic sculpture rotates when wind against the arms.
Landmark quality buildings give Providence a sense of interest and intensity typical of larger cities.
Providence Art Windows is a project that helps to activate unused or underused windows.
A history-themed mural enlivens what otherwise would have been a blank wall.
Multi-modal transit is evident with guerilla signage for the “Future Providence Streetcar Stop” near bicycle parking.
An ocean themed mural brings some drama and energy to what would have been a boring wall.
This handsome Second Renaissance Revival building has a classically detailed arcaded masonry stone foundation and red brick overhead.
The Arcade is a Greek Revival enclosed marketplace, incorporated in 1828. Today there are a variety of boutique retail vendors.
This whimsical wayfinding sign blends a quirky illustration with an arrow pointing to a nearby coffee shop. This along with the bright flowers in the planter exemplify the concept of L.B.O.H. or “Little Bit of Happy.”
The Independence Trail models the larger and better known Freedom Trail in Boston. In Providence this trail is a green line rather than red.
Roger Williams National Memorial
Just outside of the downtown is the Roger Williams National Memorial. This small site was particularly moving for what it represents for the history of Providence, for Rhode Island, and for religious freedom in the US.
The Huguenot influence is evident from a cenotaph recognizing the site near where Gabriel Bernon once lived prior to his death in 1736.
Another marker mentioned the Algonkin who resided here for nearly 7000 years and whose products manufactured here were found as far away as the Ohio River Valley.
And, while the farm was not active at the time of our visit, the designated planting area for Native American Farming was a welcome, albeit heavily urbanized way to demonstrate this important concept.
One wall inside the visitor center is packed with important information about the facets of “Liberty of Conscience” which the exhibit calls “An American Ideal.” Three sub-headings and themes related to them are:
- Inalienable rights / American independence
- Race and Creed / American diversity
- Rights and Relevance / American religion
Another exhibit refers to the four phases of the life of Roger Williams:
- 1600, Priest and Puritan
- 1635, Separatist, Outcast
- 1636, Founder, Seeker
- 1663, Statesman
Two maps in the exhibit particularly stand out – one of “The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” and the other of “The colony of Providence.”
Outside of the visitor center again, a plaque recognized the spring from which Providence was settled around, “made accessible to the townspeople forever.”
Once back outside there was a handsome three story building with pediment, and six-over-six windows. It appears to have been divided for use as apartments with separate entrances on the ground floor.
The Speakers’ Corner, built in 2012 with support from the National Parks Foundation honors the importance of free speech as a precondition for religious liberty to occur.
One last plaque before leaving park referred to the important role of immigration in shaping Providence. By the 1920s more than half of Providence and Rhode Island’s residents were immigrants.
The First Baptist Church provides a dominating presence not far from the National Memorial. In form and design it is reminiscent of a similar church building in Charleston, South Carolina.
A quick walk through Brown University took me by the Governor Henry Lippitt House. The semicircular porch and other details stood out to me.
As my visit neared its end, the RISD 2ndlife store caught my attention. This student operated store featured second-hand art supplies. Students and community members are able to trade, donate, or buy art supplies here at discounted prices. An art supply store is essential to a city with arts as such an important part of its identity. This store helps to fill that need.
These two tall buildings caught my eye for their detailing. When Providence decided to build taller buildings they were fortunate it was a time when architecture still valued color, form, shape, and materials. This resulted in handsome buildings like these.
Among the tallest of buildings in Providence is the Biltmore hotel. Famously the former mayor Buddy Cianci kept rooms here. Having stayed there myself, it is not fancy but it does have a hold on memory as an important site in the city.
This slideshow captures the artist-made wayfinding. This provides a whimsical take on a sign typology that often is digitally designed and fabricated as opposed to handmade.
Water is a unifying feature. Here the railroad tracks, the canal, and new building fabric harmoniously relate to each other.
Finally, our visit ends at the Masonic Temple that has been converted into an attractive boutique hotel. The architectural detailing here, especially in the lobby area made it a perfect place to reflect upon Providence.