2012 Historic Preservation Awards

Tuesday, 05/15/2012 – 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Nelson Fitness Center at Brown University On Tuesday May 15, PPS will host the 2012 Historic Preservation Awards at the Brown University Nelson Fitness Center. This award ceremony recognizes significant contributions to the preservation and revitalization of Providence's historic resources.

Preview tours of the Fitness Center 5:00–5:45 PM
Registration begins at 5:30 PM
Awards Program begins promptly at 6:00 PM

Keynote address: Gary L. Brewer, AIA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP), lead architect of the Nelson Fitness Center.

VIP reception with special guest Gary Brewer (included with the VIP ticket) at the home of Barrett Bready. Complimentary drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres.

24 Stimson Avenue, Providence, 8:00–10:00 PM

To purchase tickets, click here.

2012 Festival of Historic Houses

June 1-3 

Now in its 33rd year, the PPS Festival of Historic Houses will be celebrated on June 1, 2, and 3. This year, the weekend will begin with the Providence Sunset Soiree, a change to visit the private rooftop garden at the new Warren Alpert School Medical School of Brown University.

On Saturday, June 2 attendees of the House and Garden Tour will visit extraordinary houses, and get a “behind-closed-doors” glimpse into private homes on and around Elmgrove Avenue, on the East Side of Providence. 

On Sunday, June 3 tour goers will visit the Jewelry District, for a chance to see Luxurious lofts, (including the very first condominiums in Providence!), in creatively renovated 19^th and 20^th century industrial buildings. 

Check in with us in the coming weeks for more details!

The Providence Preservation Society Proudly Presented...

The Winter Bash in the Big Easy

2012 Winter Bash Gallery (Click to open)

On Saturday, February 4 PPS hosted the Winter Bash, the biggest and best winter event in Providence,  at Fete in Olneyville which brought out a fun, diverse crowd of artists, young professionals, business, civic and political leaders, and all who share a passion for Providence, and for having a good time! 

Thank you to our sponsors, donor and ticket purchasers for making the event a success! 

New Plan for the Arcade

The Providence Arcade, which has been on the PPS Ten Most Endangered Properties List since 2009, is set to reopen this fall with retail on the first floor and residential units on the second and third floor. Governor Lincoln D. Chafee, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, and PPS Board President Lucie Searle applauded Arcade owner Evan Granoff's announcement of the project during a recent press conference.  Plans call for fourteen shops on the first floor, with over forty residential micro-lofts in the upper stories. 

PPS Board President Lucie Searle speaks at Arcade press conference

Built in 1828 and designed by architects James Bucklin and Russell Warren, it is constructed of granite blocks and stuccoed ashlar. Six Ionic columns on each facade are made of granite quarried and carved locally at Bare Ledge Quarry in Johnston, Rhode Island. The Arcade is a staple of downtown, part of Providence not only because of its national historical and architectural significance but also because of the personal significance that is has for so many Rhode Islanders.

A Benefit Street Holiday-December 3rd

2011 A Benefit Street Holiday Gallery (Click to open)

The Providence Preservation Society presented A Benefit Street Holiday, a family–friendly day–long Holiday Festival launching the festive season of shopping, celebrations and homecomings in Providence. Guests were treated to a personal glimpse of select Benefit Street houses. Tour-goers learned about this nationally significant collection of 18th-and 19th-century architecture from teams of trained volunteers at each house. This year’s Festival also featured guided walking tours and educational lectures. 

PPS added a Family Day ticket to the Holiday Festival which included storytelling by the acclaimed Len Cabral; gingerbread house decorating; a visit from the Snow Queen; a pet parade; carriage rides; and a parade to light the City Christmas tree.

We would like to thank our sponsors who made this event possible:

Brown University

Ed Wojcik Architect 

Partridge, Snow and Hahn

Providence celebrating tree lighting: foxprovidence.com

Fall Symposium, September 15-17
Make No Little Plans: A Vision for the City of Providence

In anticipation of the largest development project in Providence in decades, PPS presented a three-day event that explored lessons learned from the creation of Providence’s Capital Center on its 30th anniversary and looked forward to the opportunities opened by the removal of I-195 and creation of the Knowledge District.

Following the Symposium, PPS celebrated at the Symposium Gala: An Evening in Monte Carlo, on the terrace of the GTECH building.

To learn more, please take a look at the press coverage:

Providence Journal:
"Reexamining Lessons Learned from Providence's Capital Center Project"
GoLocalProv:
"Symposium Celebrates Providence Renaissance This Weekend"
Greater City: Providence:
"Notes from the PPS Symposium Morning Session"

You can also watch the NBC 10 story below.

Joe DiStefano, Chris Blazejewski, and James Hall talked on September 18 on NBC 10 about the Symposium.

Watch this at WJAR Providence

For the full schedule of the Symposium and a list of panelists, please visit http://providencesymposium.com/.

September 22 and 29 at 5:30 p.m...
Talk the Talk & Walk the Walk
with James Hall

There's just one more month of "Talk the Talk & Walk the Walk" - reserve your space for September today!

The debut season of talks and walks with Executive Director James Hall has been extraordinarily successful, with recent talks and walks sellling out well in advance. Join us for the last month of this enlightening series as James explores the Armory District. Become a member today to attend for free! 

On Thursday, September 22, at 5:30 p.m., join James at the Old Brick Schoolhouse for a discussion of the fascinating and sometimes bewildering trajectory of the Armory District. One of this city's most dynamic neighborhoods, it has much to tell us about preservation, economic viability, and diversity.  

Then on Thursday, September 29, at 5:30 p.m., meet James at the landmark Cranston Street Armory for a walking tour through this sumptuous and surprising neighborhood. Afterwards, enjoy drinks and informal discussion at Loie Fuller's, a gem of a restaurant on bustling Westminster Street.

Grove Street School Victim of Second Illegal Demolition
"This is just rogue behavior and old-school bullyism," says James Hall

Historic Grove Street School (1901) suffers another illegal demolition. Photo: Elaine Collins On Saturday, August 27, the owners of historic Grove Street School - Tarro siblings Michael, Richard, and Patricia - yet again defied a City order and inflicted a second illegal demolition on their beleaguered property. Just as in February of 2007, this demolition was interrupted by the police, but not before significant damage was done. You can read about this travesty in the Providence Journal and the Boston Globe.

On Saturday, after the demolition was stopped, the Mayor's office released a statement expressing strong frustration with the property owners. The Mayor said, in the statement, "the City will pursue all legal remedies against [the owners] including criminal and civil charges." PPS is impressed by the Mayor's sincerity and resolve. The property owners must be held accountable for their vandalism of a historic landmark; their defiance of City orders; and their contempt for the neighborhood around the school building.

2011 Ten Most Endangered Properties List

Columbus Theatre Gallery (Click to open)

The 2011 Ten Most Endangered Properties List was released at a press conference on May 5 at the Columbus Theatre. Click here to see this year's list.

The Ten Most Endangered Properties is one of PPS’s best-known programs. This year’s list is varied, including nineteenth-century commercial buildings, neighborhood landmarks, reminders of Providence’s industrial heritage, and publicly and privately owned buildings. The listings represent diverse architectural typologies, styles, and periods of history. All of the listed properties offer opportunities for rehabilitation to help preserve the historic fabric of the city. Call(401) 831-7440 with any questions.