South Angell Street, #81

About this Property

#Redevelopment

This project was a renovation of a circa 1900 (maybe older) home used for commercial office space and the new construction of a three-unit row condominium. The Egis Group, also known as Finkelman Insurance, was located here since around 1989.

The renovation and design was conducted by ZDS and construction management by Modo Development. Neither lists this project on their websites. There are three three-level condos in the new construction and two condos in the home. The largest condo is the upper unit in the house — a 2,650 square-foot 4 bed and 2.5 bath space featuring 21-foot high cathedral ceilings and a private roof deck.

The three new units have ground-level garage spaces with sidewalk entrances. The second floor is the kitchen/living space with an attached office and bathroom. The third floor are two beds with an en suite on the primary. A walk-up to the roof deck doubles as a skylight.

Real estate listings describe the project as such, in their typical hyped-up manner:

Welcome to Eighty One South. Located in the Wayland neighborhood on the East side of Providence (an easy walk to everything from the city’s best restaurants to Blackstone Boulevard’s walking and bike path), are these 5 bespoke condominiums. […] From the overall use of space down to the fine detailing, there is nowhere in the city of Providence where you can find such a residence. Builder will work with buyers to customize space by choosing finishes such as fixtures, paint colors, and more!

Design Reception

In this, both William Morgan and ArtInRuins agree that ZDS designs are formulaic, plopped into their surroundings without a sense of respect or admiration for the architecture around it. This rectangular faux-mansard roof building is no different, looking very much like it could be located anywhere, including next to an airport in a suburban strip. Mr. Morgan goes into a deep dive, picking apart multiple ZDS-designed projects in a piece titled Assault on Wayland Square, for which this building contributes.

The interiors are respectably thought-out and have demanded high selling prices. We only wish the neighborhood got a great piece of modern architecture in the process.

#Current Events

The new condominiums have all sold, the largest of which for almost $1M (see the condo listing at Berkshire Hathaway).

#History

The original house at 81 South Angell on the corner of Butler Avenue is not listed in any historic district nor does it appear on a city-wide survey. According to the maps, it is possible the bones of the house were constructed as early as 1882.

Maps

• 1882 G.M. Hopkins map, Plate 4 — Difficult to tell for sure, but on the corner of Butler and S. Angell is a house with a similar T shape on a lot that spans Douglass to S. Angell. The postal numbers seem to be 39 and 40 though they may indicate dimensions of the lots. The area is sparsely populated but divided into lots that align with much of what remains.
• 1895 Atlas of the City of Providence, Plate 6 — More recognizable, the house sits on the same corner and is numbered 81. A plot line divides the lot into two. The porch which can be seen by 1908 is not present or detailed in this rendering.
• 1908 L.J. Richards insurance map, Plate 9 — Included on the corner of South Angell and Butler with a recognizable shape, labeled as K.B. Walsh on a 8520 square-foot lot. Yellow indicating wood frame construction with a three-sided porch around the east, north, and western sides.