Historic Districts
Providence’s Wards & Historic Districts
Map Legend:
Local Historic Districts
A Local Historic District (LHD) is a collection of properties, often in the same area, that are protected for their unique physical character, historic fabric, and/or visual identity.
In 1960, the City of Providence created the Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC) to conduct design review in these districts and issue certificates of appropriateness for repairs and alterations that maintain the aesthetic character of the building. Any exterior changes made to a property in an LHD, including demolition, must be approved by the PHDC.
LHDs are established through overlay zoning, and there are currently seven districts in Providence, totaling approximately 2,500 properties. New LHDs are created through an extensive community engagement process, involving the signatures of a majority of residents in the proposed district. They are ultimately signed into law by the Mayor of Providence.
You can find out more about what the PHDC regulates on their website. To search if a property is located within a local historic district, click here.
Providence’s Local Historic Districts
- Armory Historic District
- Broadway Historic District
- College Hill Historic District
- Jewelry Historic District
- North Elmwood Historic District
- Power-Cooke Street Historic District
- Providence Landmarks District/Industrial & Commercial Buildings District
- South Elmwood Historic District
- Stimson Avenue Historic District
National Register Districts
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list maintained by the National Parks Service of districts, sites, individual buildings and structures, and objects of significance in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. To search if a property in Rhode Island is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, go to www.ri.gov or use the map above!
Providence currently has 35 districts and 131 individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places — this includes 13 National Historic Landmarks, a testament to the rich architectural history of the city. PPS has worked on three National Register nominations: the Summit Avenue Historic District, the Elmgrove Gardens Historic District, and the Wayland Historic District. These three nominations added more than 900 properties to the National Register, allowing property owners to participate in the state tax credit program.
Listing on the National Register is purely an honorary designation. Properties listed individually or located within a National Register Historic or Landmark District are eligible to participate in tax credit programs for the exterior restoration of historic properties and may be eligible for low-interest loans. Income-producing properties are eligible for the Federal Tax Credit (20%). This program is administered by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC), the State’s Historic Preservation Office. For more information on the National Register and state historic tax credit programs, please visit www.preservation.ri.gov.
Owners of National Register properties may consult with the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission’s staff for free advice about protecting the value of their historic resources. Listing on the National Register is a great honor for a property, but it does not guarantee that the property will never be damaged or demolished. National Register listing provides protection only when federal funds or government licenses are involved.
Providence’s National Register Districts
- Andrew Dickhaut Cottages Historic Distric
- Blackstone Boulevard Realty Plat Historic District
- Blackstone Boulevard-Cole Avenue-Grotto Avenue Historic District
- Blackstone Canal Historic District
- Blackstone Park Historic District
- Branch Buildings of the Providence Public Library
- Bridgham-Arch-Wilson Streets Historic District
- Broadway-Armory Historic District
- College Hill Historic District National Historic Landmark
- Custom House Historic District
- Downtown Providence Historic District
- Doyle Avenue Historic District
- Elmgrove Gardens Historic District
- Elmwood Historic District
- Freeman Plat Historic District
- Hope Street Historic District
- Moshassuck Square/American Screw Company Factories Historic District
- Oakland Avenue Historic District
- Olney Street-Alumni Avenue Historic District
- Parkis-Comstock Historic District
- Pekin Street Historic District
- Pine Street Historic District
- Power Street-Cooke Street Historic District
- Providence Jewelry Manufacturing District
- Rhodes Street Historic District
- Roger Williams Park Historic District
- Roman Catholic Church Complexes of Providence
- Sewage Treatment Facilities
- Smith Hill Historic District
- State Home and School for Dependent and Neglected Children Historic District
- Stimson Avenue Historic District
- Summit Historic District
- Trinity Square Historic District
- Wanskuck Mill Village Historic District
- Wayland Historic District
- Wesleyan Avenue Historic District
- Westminster Street Historic District
- Weybosset Mills Complex