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PPS Releases 2015 Most Endangered Properties List

Cranston Street Armory The Providence Preservation Society (PPS) announced the 2015 Most Endangered Properties (MEP) List at the organization’s Annual Meeting on January 29, featuring historically significant properties deemed in threat of deterioration, neglect and demolition.

In a city known for its extraordinary architecture, many historic buildings are threatened by factors such as neglect, insufficient funds, adverse public policy, and inappropriate development. For 20 years, PPS has been working with concerned neighbors, preservationists, and activists to put together this annual list. In recent years, properties noted on the MEP list have reflected additional threats of the continuing recession: foreclosure, low occupancy, and a lagging market. To raise awareness of these issues, PPS has made its annual MEP list an integral part of the organization’s advocacy efforts.

2015 PPS Ten Most Endangered Properties List (in alphabetical order):

1. Atlantic Mills (1863)

2. Broad Street Synagogue (1910)

3. Cranston Street Armory (1907)

4. Grace Church Cemetery & Cottage (1834)

5. Esek Hopkins House (1756)

6. Former RIDOT Headquarters and Garage (1927)

7. Sheffield Smith House (1855)

8. St. Teresa of Avila Church (1883)

9. Kendrick-Prentice-Tirocchi House (1867)

10. Westminster Congregational Church (1901)

Many properties featured on past Ten Most Endangered Properties Lists have successfully been saved. Formerly listed properties include the Masonic Temple, the Foundry, the Shepard’s Building, and most recently, the Teste Block and Arcade. PPS is also celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the list, and will begin a program series this spring highlighting significant progress over the past two decades.

 For more information on this year's list, click here!

PPS Annual Meeting

Thursday, January 29, 2015, 5:30 pm            Providence Public Library, 225 Washington Street

Tom Murphy (left) and Clark Schoettle (right) The Providence Preservation Society’s Annual Meeting will be held on the evening of Thursday, January 29th, in the auditorium of the recently-restored Providence Public Library. In addition to the presentation of the 2015 Board of Trustees, PPS will be joined by former Mayor of Pittsburgh Tom Murphy to discuss his extensive experience in urban revitalization.

Currently a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute, an international research organization focused on sustainable cities, Mayor Murphy leveraged over $4.5 billion in economic development by crafting effective public-private partnerships during his tenure in Pittsburgh. Since joining ULI in 2006, Murphy has written extensively on the economic impact universities and hospitals have on local economies.

The Annual Meeting will also include a celebration of the Providence Revolving Fund’s 35th Anniversary. Formed by the Providence Preservation Society Board of Trustees in 1980 as a small revolving loan fund focused on the West Side, the Revolving Fund has developed into a national model for community revitalization under the leadership of Executive Director Clark Schoettle. The Revolving Fund now serves low-to-moderate income families in four residential neighborhoods, and operates a Downtown Loan and Grant Program, helping to stimulate a diverse range of projects in Providence’s historic core.

Please click here to register for the Annual Meeting!

PPS Fall/Winter Newsletter 

The most recent issue of the PPS Newsletter features stories on the Providence Landmarks District, the 2015 Annual Meeting, and the 20th Anniversary of the Most Endangered Properties List!

Click here to see the full issue: Fall 2014 Newsletter (pdf)

2014 Historic Preservation Awards

On Friday, November 7, 2014 the Providence Preservation Society (PPS) will recognize the recipients of the 2014 Historic Preservation Awards. The PPS Historic Preservation Awards recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses that have maintained and enhanced the architectural heritage of Providence through preservation projects and new design. Eight preservation projects located throughout Providence will receive awards.

In addition to those projects receiving awards, PPS is honoring an individual whose vision for preservation transformed the Brown and Sharpe Company manufacturing complex into a thriving mixed use development. The late Antonio Guerra, who passed away on October 11, will receive a posthumous Community Preservation Award. Mr. Guerra purchased the complex shortly after Brown and Sharpe moved out in the 1960s, redeveloping the site’s many industrial buildings into The Foundry Corporate Office Center and Promenade Apartments. Mr. Guerra was previously recognized in the Providence Preservation Society’s 50th Anniversary Hall of Fame in 2006.

To learn more, and view a gallery of award winning projects, click here!

Mayoral Candidates Highlight Preservation Policy

As Providence approaches the 2014 Mayoral election, PPS believes that historic preservation should be at the forefront of candidates' policies on economic development and land use. Over the past three months, PPS has met with all current mayoral candidates with conversations touching on economic development, downtown revitalization, demolition policy, and resurrecting the Rhode Island Historic Tax Credit.

Following each meeting, candidates were given short surveys addressing the City's most pressing preservation topics.

Click here to find Democrat Jorge Elorza's and Republican Daniel Harrop's responses to our survey on historic preservation in Providence.