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Historic Districts in Providence: How they Work and Why There Should be More

Historic districts across the nation offer limited protection for the structures they contain. In Providence, we have seen Historic Districts lose properties to fire, lack of maintenance and neglect, developer speculation, or just the forward march of progress.

As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you had until it’s gone.” When one or two historic properties are removed from a neighborhood, we may not feel it immediately. But how many buildings need to be removed before a neighborhood (or city) loses its sense of identity?

Photo of 57 Federal Street in Providence’s Federal Hill. A two-story, circa 1860 Colonial house was neglected and eventually razed. The house was not part of a historic district.

In Fox Point, residents are struggling with that question. In 2021, an over 200-year-old colonial house, which was the location of a restaurant called the Duck and Bunny, was hastily demolished by its owner. A demolition permit was granted mid-March and the building started to come down 2 weeks later. There was no local historic district protection for the building or demolition delay to notify neighbors and abutters of this action. Three years later, the lot is still empty.

Photo of the demolition of the Almira P. Allen House at 312 Wickenden Street rapidly progressing on April 3, 2021. The Federal-style house contributed to the College Hill National Historic District but was not part of a Local Historic District. Wickenden Street was also outside the jurisdiction of a demolition delay ordinance at the time.

Later, in 2023, a proposal to demolish two structures for a new five-story apartment building at the corner of Wickenden and Brook Streets came before the City Plan Commission (CPC) for approval. The meeting was packed with neighbors and constituents opposed to the size and scale of the proposal within a relatively low-height but high-density neighborhood. Because the current buildings were listed as “non-contributing” in the College Hill Historic District, any new construction plans did not need the Historic District Commission (HDC) approval.

A rendering by Fox Point Capital, LLC, of the proposed apartment building with superimposed streetscape to show its massing and scale. The design for the building has since been broken down into smaller masses to attempt to shrink its perceived size in relation to the surrounding structures. Construction has not begun.

The Fox Point neighborhood is exploring a new historic overlay district in 2024, gathering the signatures of residents within the boundary. According to Ward One Councilman John Goncalves, the protection of a local historic district is the best way to save it’s historic look and feel. Concerned residents agree as they hope to slow development and promote more resident involvement in proposals for demolitions and new construction.

But what does a historic district allow or restrict? How difficult is it to create a new district? As more communities explore the pros and cons of Historic Districts, it is important to understand the benefits, limitations, and flexibility that different kinds of districts may offer.

#What’s a Historic District?

A “Historic District” designation means there is a concentration of buildings, structures, objects, or other sites that are related either historically (tied to a particular person or event) or aesthetically (designed in a similar style or built at the same period). Examples include college campuses, large estates or farms, villages, and industrial complexes. Historic Districts have two forms: National and Local.

#National Historic Districts (NHD)

In 1966, the National Historic Preservation Act created the National Register of Historic Places. This official list of properties documents those that are significant to the country’s history. The list is maintained by the National Park Service.

There are more than 2,300 National Historic Districts across the United States with over 790 sites (individual properties or districts) located in Rhode Island.

A street scene in Newport, Rhode Island, home to one of the largest National Register Districts in the state. While containing only 392 properties, it is the largest by land mass, encompassing 250 acres, or about 40% of the city. Photo CC-BY-SA-3.0/Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia

Some Benefits

Inclusion in an NHD offers some benefits, mostly related to income-producing properties (think of a hotel or mill conversion into apartments). They can access Federal tax credits to defray the cost of renovation or building upkeep. Another benefit is high property values — generally, buildings within a district command premiums over those that are not.

The Federal Housing Administration may offer loan programs with favorable terms for those seeking to purchase a home with historic significance if it means the property will be restored and maintained.

Many properties have used Federal (and State) Historic Tax Credits to drive redevelopment from one use to another. Clockwise from top left: The Masonic Temple during its conversion to the Marriott Renaissance Hotel, the reimagined interior of the South Street Power Station, the conversion of The Royal Mills complex in Warwick to apartments, and the renovated Pearl Street Lofts (former New England Butt Company).

No Protections

Contrary to popular belief, inclusion in a federally recognized NHD like the College Hill National Historic District does not protect the buildings within it from demolition.

In Providence, 28% of the City is within a designated National Historic District. Within many of the National districts are Local Historic Districts, though they represent a much smaller 7% of the city. (Both statistics taken from a recent PVD Eye story, “Gentle Density: How to Have Both Preservation and Population Growth in Providence”)

A streetview of a portion of the College Hill Local Historic District and Benefit Street’s “Mile of History.” This is the largest LHD in the state by property count, with over 900 properties listed in total.

#Local Historic Districts (LHD)

As the name implies, Local Historic Districts are managed by individual municipalities and local governments. In Rhode Island, the state legislature empowered cities and towns to adopt historic district zoning. Municipalities get support from state-level entities like the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIHPHC), but enact and enforce independently.

Enforcement of a LHD is accomplished through a Historic District Commission (HDC). In the City of Providence, districts are overseen by the Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC). The commission’s membership comprises no more than 12 citizens who must live in Providence and demonstrate an interest in historic preservation. 10 are appointed by the mayor and 2 are City Council members.

Unique to Rhode Island, in 2022 the General Assembly required training for planning boards, zoning boards, and members of HDCs. All members, regardless of tenure, must receive a 3-hour introductory training course followed by a 1-hour refresher every year they serve. R.I. Statewide Planning convenes the Advisory Committee for Education to offer this training through the “Making Smart Land Use Decisions” course and through the Commission Assistance and Mentoring Program led by the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.

The PHDC has one set of guidelines for all districts, but they are not required. Local districts can have more flexibility in what they can protect and regulate. One neighborhood representing an intact architectural style might have protections for important construction and design details, while another might focus more on the scale and massing of the neighborhood’s streetscape.

An example in Providence is the Providence Landmarks District, which follows two sets of guidelines: one for residential properties, and another for former industrial or commercial properties.

There are 8 designated Local Historic Districts in Providence, which overlap with some of the National Historic Districts. The PHDC has maps and boundary descriptions on their website.

Stronger Protections

LHDs offer protections and enforce them at the city and state level via public comment periods and design review processes. LHDs generally enforce design restrictions on major alterations like siding, roofing, and window material selection, or scale and massing as previously stated. (Paint colors are not something that LHDs regulate in Providence.) The commission oversees the design of home additions and new construction within a district.

When demolition is proposed, it is the LHD that enforces a demolition delay mechanism, if a city has one. Providence has a delay in place and has recently strengthened its language.

There is a fine line to walk when restricting the freedom of homeowners. To be clear, there have been rapid demolitions in historic districts voted in favor by the PHDC when homeowners or developers make a case that existing conditions contain “blight.” Enforcement by committee means that human subjectivity is at play, and in Providence, the PHDC has frequently voted in favor of higher-density new construction instead of retaining smaller historic homes. The system is not perfect, but it is the system we have.

Homeowners can not always do exactly what they want when their property is under the review of an HDC, but most commissions offer ways to compromise between the homeowner’s desires and the quality of the district. For the most part, HDCs try not to be suppliers of red tape. Rather, they aim for a collective alignment with the historic nature that all who live and own within a district found valuable when they first moved there.

Limited Monetary Benefits

While property values remain high for those within a National or Local Historic District, additional grants and renovation support will vary greatly from state to state. In Rhode Island, State Tax Credits have been used for many large-scale income-producing projects, like hotels, cultural centers, and residential mill conversions.

Projects that received State Historic Tax Credits over the years include (clockwise from top left) the Henry F. Arnold Livery Stable in Pawtucket, the Wanskuck Mill in Providence, the Woonsocket Company Mill (Bernon Mills Complex) in Woonsocket, and the Newport Opera House.Woonsocket Mill photo by Magicpiano, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Newport Opera House postcard scan by the New York Public Library via Wikimedia Commons

Inclusion in an LHD may make a property eligible for various state-funded programs, though all may have limitations to the scope of what they will support. The RIHPHC maintains a few lists of grant opportunities in the state and New England region. Will they subsidize a new set of historically accurate windows for your historic home? Likely not, as grant programs are typically reserved for non-profit or public entities. If a privately owned home is listed on the State Register of Historic Places, there are a few opportunities to find financial support for certain projects.

#Historic Districts and the Updated Comprehensive Plan

The draft update to Providence’s Comprehensive Plan has many people wondering about the future of the built environment. The historic character of the City is an enormous asset and there is no doubt that increased density across the City will change the character of some historic neighborhoods. It is also a fact that the City needs more housing at a variety of price points to support the needs of the people who want to live here.

One of the concerns (as noted in the article “Gentle Density”) is that some already-dense areas are designated as “Enhanced Growth.” This means the plan recommends zoning changes that will allow for higher-density dwellings. In these areas, when there are few empty lots or buildings to be converted from non-residential use, there seems to be no ability to increase residential density without demolishing smaller homes.

As Providence is rich with historic character, it is also rich in designated historic districts. Losing small-to-medium-size houses in these areas in favor of larger, taller, and denser apartment complexes will degrade these historic districts, and in turn, gradually degrade the architectural quality of the City.

Before and after of 382 Brook Street and 116 Waterman, two late-19th century houses razed for a denser, taller apartment building with ground floor retail in 2023.
Another before and after, this one for an 1896 house demolished in 2022 for a new 4-story apartment building with ground-floor retail, not far from the 116 Waterman building.

#Should my neighbors and I create a new Local Historic District?

As the “Gentle Density” article noted, “Is it fair that just 7% of irreplaceable resources are protected? And the rest of the City is not?” The Comprehensive Plan wants to achieve higher density but also higher sustainability. Using as much as possible of the existing housing stock is the most sustainable development approach, and repurposing once-industrial buildings for housing rather than tearing them down is in line with that approach as well.

Local Historic Districts have previously favored the history of the powerful, not the disenfranchised. With construction projects like the Federal highway system and widespread “Urban Renewal” projects in the mid-20th century, many neighborhoods that deserved protections were intentionally erased.

Historians are doing more to report and recover some of what was lost, like the story of 215 Meeting Street, owned by a Civil War Veteran and prominent members of the Providence Black Community. Recently, additional documentation was approved by the National Park Service for the College Hill Historic District and others to include documentation for properties associated with African Americans and Cape Verdeans to emphasize their significance to the history of College Hill. Federal and Local Historic Districts make this research and documentation possible.

With the Comprehensive Plan nearing finalization, it is the perfect time to assess the significance of our neighborhoods. They deserve oversight, consideration, and what protections we can give them without placing an undue burden on the rights of homeowners. While new local historic districts require work, coordination, and many conversations, they are a worthwhile investment in the character of the neighborhoods we all love so much.

Most importantly, we may be able to document or even save a property that tells a different story than the places that have already been given that privilege.

To understand what is involved with creating a new local historic district, start with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s article 10 Steps to Establish a Local Historic District. Local consultants and subject matter experts include the Providence Preservation Society, Preserve RI, and the office of Councilman John Goncalves.

Republished from its source at https://pvdeye.org/historic-districts-in-providence-how-they-work-what-they-do-and-why-there-should-be-more/. This is a longer and unedited version of the published version, containing references to properties outside of Providence.

#Additional Reading

#National Historic Districts in Providence, RI

There are 31 National districts in the City along with 8 local districts. Overlap with Local Historic Districts is noted, though not all the same individual properties are included in both.

To search for documentation for these districts, use the National Park Service website or visit the state’s list of National Register Properties.

We’d like to thank local experts and contributors for their advice while writing this article: Sarah Zurier, Architectural Historian/Special Projects, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission; Brent Runyon, former Executive Director of the Providence Preservation Society, now an independent preservation consultant and realtor; Marissa Brown, Executive Director, Providence Preservation Society; Jason Martin and Samara Pinto, City of Providence.

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