The most recent proposal included an additional home and two garages on the lot, with a third home to be proposed later on
The proposal for 64 Angell was discussed at a tense public meeting with the Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC) on Feb. 24, and the project was ultimately continued.
The property, which is in the College Hill Historic District, currently consists of the Captain George Benson House, the Federal-style mansion constructed toward the end of the 18th century.
The proposal at present includes the construction of a single-family dwelling and two garages (one to serve the mansion, another for the proposed new home). The applicants seeking conceptual plan approval are Kevin Diamond and Dustin Dezube with Providence Architecture and Building Co. The firm has been working on the design of the proposal for 15 months, Diamond shared, and acquired the property for $1,425,000 in October 2023.
The house had been vacant for several years, and its condition has deteriorated without an occupant.
Diamond and Dezube’s project was originally brought before the PHDC in April 2024. The original proposal included four new homes, subdividing the spacious property into five lots, but it was met with skepticism from community members and the commission.
Though the revised plans presented Monday have scaled back (with only two homes ultimately envisioned to be added to the lot, rather than four), it similarly received pushback.
Diamond and Dezube shared that they had tried to better maintain the views of the mansion and minimize the massing of the new house with its design.
Several local stakeholders, including residents, representatives from local non-profits (including Liz Mauran from the Mile of History of Association and PPS’s own Executive Director Marisa Angell Brown), and others, shared their concerns regarding the appropriateness of the new design.
Ward 2 Councilor Helen Anthony also shared her concerns about the project during public testimony. “I understand that they’ve tried to tuck [the proposed house] in,” she said. “I don’t think there’s such a thing as tucking it in on this property.”
“I’m so appreciative of the preservation of the building and the lands, but I think the proposed construction of the new house just doesn’t work,” Anthony stated.
Some in the crowd and on the commission questioned whether the lot should see any additional development at all, saying that 64 Angell may have “singular” status — meaning it is of unique historical significance per the guidelines of the PHDC, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, and the Secretary of the Interior. 64 Angell is a National Register listed property in addition to being located in the College Hill Local Historic District.
“Splendidly isolated, as well illustrated by early paintings of Providence, when completed near the crest of College Hill, this substantial Federal house was built by a partner in the firm Brown, Benson & Ives. Benson’s architectural statement was even more ambitious, at least in siting, than that of his partner John Brown, but the design of this house shares only a hint of Brown’s opulence. The house is considerably enlarged from its original form, and both the additions and the fence are Colonial Revival embellishments perhaps even gutsier than the original.”
– 2003 Guide to Providence Architecture
One resident, Kim Salerno, who serves on the board of the Mile of History Association, commented that the land itself and the landscaping around the house are elements of historic importance in themselves.
Angell Brown remarked that the latest design does not adhere to the standards and guidelines laid out by the PHDC, specifically in regards to the proposed building’s setback, windows, driveway and garage. “This proposal is not in compliance with the HDC standards, and for that reason it should be denied,” she said. “If it is approved, I think it is fair to call into question really how meaningful these standards are.”
Edward Sanderson, Vice-Chair of the PHDC, presented slides of comparable estates around College Hill, showing how additional development on those sites had been approached. Sanderson explained that development on these types of lots is possible but it needs to be handled elegantly. “We look at historic patterns of development having a stable-type structure running…along the property line behind the big mansion,” he said. This “is how the problem is solved in Providence.”
The Commission voted to continue the matter, saying some revision and further community engagement could help get the project to a better place.
By Katy Pickens / Planning & Preservation Writer / kpickens@ppsri.org