Hose Company No. 6

About this Property

#Reason for Demolition

The Hose Company number 6 was a popular restaurant, spanning two incarnations — one, after its original conversion from a fire house to a restaurant in the late 1970s, “Donald Anthony’s Hose Company No. 6,” and another after a short time as a restaurant called The Peppermill. The building and business were put up for sale in 2016 following the death of the owner, Paul Gaudette.

In April of 2017, an application for demolition was sent to the Pawtucket Historic District Commission from Barone Capital, LLC. The property was included in no local or national historic registers, but the Commission reviews all proposals in which 25 percent or more of a structure is at least 50 years old.¹

The application, however, did not make a determination of historical significance, which the zoning ordinance requires. After a due diligence structural analysis, the applicant requested that a determination be made. Odeh Engineers conducted the evaluation² and determined that the structure would require almost $300,000 worth of investment to pass code, but was sound. Members of the Commission voted in favor of declaring it was “significant” which allowed them to issue a six-month demolition delay³ to allow the city and other interested parties to propose alternative uses that would save the structure.

Several business owners and private developers indicated they came forward and offered more than $300,000 for the property, but the owner declined, preferring to try and get the asking price of $500,000.⁴

Since a deal was not reached with buyers that would save the property, a demolition permit was issued in mid October and demolition followed soon after.

#Current Events

According to aerial photos (we have not yet visited this location) nothing has been built here and the site is an empty lot. It seems as though the demolition delay stopped a new Family Dollar from being built. According to the Pawtucket Tax Assessor’s online database, “Mur Realty Trust” is still the owner.

#History

According to the Valley Breeze article below, there is written history of the building that we have yet to find a copy of:

According to written history, Charles E. Kirk designed the old Fire House No. 6. The “very handsome” building is a “hip-roofed Queen Anne fire house of red brick with round corner tower and central cupola,” it states. “Built to serve the rapidly expanding Darlington neighborhood,” it was later converted into a restaurant, “an excellent example of adaptive re-use.”

In photos it seems to have retained its central bell tower after conversion to a restaurant in the late 1970s, but by the 1988 photo the tower is gone.

#In the News

Old Hose Company No. 6 building likely to be leveled

by Ethan Shorey
Valley Breeze | October 15, 2019 (abridged)

A six-month demolition moratorium has long since expired, and the owner of the former Hose Company No. 6 restaurant on Central Avenue is now seeking a permit to level the building.

City officials say they’ve been trying to find a developer to rehabilitate the property, but that route simply doesn’t appear feasible.

State Rep. Raymond Johnston, who fondly remembers many good times at the former restaurant over the decades, told The Breeze the owner’s asking price of $500,000, with little or no wiggle room, is simply too high for any developer to make a project work.

“It’s too much money to make it worth anyone’s while,” he said. “It’s a shame because that has a lot of sentimental value and meaning to a lot of people who live in the community.” […]

Owner Jean Gaudette, wife of late owner and former Wild Turkey Band/Hometown Rockers member Paul Gaudette, did not return a call for comment.

It is unclear if a Family Dollar is still in the works for the property. That was the store officials confirmed would have replaced the 1895 brick building at 636 Central Ave. back in 2017, when a demolition was first proposed. Experts said two years ago that the building needs at least $300,000 in upgrades, putting a total bill for purchase and rehabilitation at nearly $1 million. […]

Jeanne Boyle, director of commerce for Pawtucket, said officials will be issuing a demolition permit this week to the owner of the building, “as the city has a statutory obligation to issue the demolition permit at this time.”

Gaudette followed all of the policies and requirements necessary to obtain the permit, she said, first applying to the Pawtucket Historic District Commission for a certificate of appropriateness associated with the proposed demolition in April of 2017.

“We worked with the owner throughout the last few years as we attempted to find a suitable buyer for the property who would renovate and retain the historic building, including meeting with and referring a number of potential buyers of the property,” she said. “No plans have been submitted to the city at this time for the redevelopment of the property following demolition.”

Johnston, who first applied to what was then Donald Anthony’s Hose Company 6 as a high schooler, and held his first political fundraiser there in 2010, said the loss of the old building, where a restaurant operated until 2016, will be devastating for the city and his district.

“Hopefully the developer puts something that fits the community,” he said. “I don’t think we need another dollar store.”

City officials say they have no current proposals for the property. According to Pawtucket’s tax database, the Hose Company property is owned by Jean Gaudette’s Mur Realty Trust Inc. and is valued at $393,000. The building covers 5,894 square feet and stands on about half an acre of land, which is mostly covered in parking lot.

The Preservation Society of Pawtucket has led the campaign to save the old building, bringing on numerous supporters along the way. […]

On May 9, 2017, members of the Historic District Commission found that the structure is significant, instituting the six-month demolition delay. […]

—

Captured 15 January 2023 from https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/old-hose-company-no-6-building-likely-to-be-leveled/article_34b7bc9b-9097-59c5-82f6-703bfe3e204e.html