Fountain Street, #132, Downtown Providence

About this Property

#Reason for Demolition

A proposed hotel in 2007 led to the demolition of the structure at 137-149 Washington Street and 132 Fountain Street. The design of the hotel went back and forth a few times through the Design Review Committee. It was a bland design that would look more at home in suburban Warwick than downtown Providence, so the committee was right to push back. They got a better design in the end, but still, nothing great.

The hotel was never built.

#Current Events

In the years after the failed new hotel development, AS220 purchased and renovated the Dreyfus Hotel and the adjoining Mercantile Block from 121 Washington Street through 135. The upper floors of both buildings are residential artist studios and workshops. The ground floor of both are stores and bars — Clark the Locksmith, The Stable, Mexico Restaurant, and the former Local 121 restaurant.

The Dean Hotel, formerly the Sportsman’s Inn, immediately next door to the McDonald’s, was renovated starting in 2012 with a grand opening in 2014. The former McDonald’s building is now a parking lot and side entrance to the hotel.

#History

From the National Register nomination form for the Downtown Providence Historic District, prepared by William McKenzie Woodward, Principal Historic Preservation Planner, 1984

132 Washington Commercial Building, McDonald’s (ca. 1915): 2-story brick building with late 1970s storefront sheathed in new “antique” brick and fenestration on both stories irregularly placed under segmental arches of varying widths. This retail commercial building was modified to accommodate a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant, and its original storefront was obliterated by inappropriate alterations. (Non-contributing)