Kotler Building

also known as Louis Fink building

A cute, manageable, three-story mill building on the outskirts of Smith Hill surrounded by car yards

About this Property

Previous Uses

Louis Fink was a scrap metal dealership who occupied this location from 1954 to the late 1970s. From there is has changed hands a few times. Due to its small size — about 1440 sq ft per floor — and location in the scrap metal, car parts, and impound yard district (how’s that for a great marketing name?) the use has always been towards the industrial nature of things.

The building has been for sale a few times in recent years and tax info states that it was sold twice for the same price. In recent memory it was the home of Stacey Smith Photography Studio but her website lists a different address in North Providence now. We are not sure who owns it now or for what purpose.

History

From the “Industrial Sites and Commercial Buildings Survey (ICBS)” by PPS and the AIA, 2001-2002, hosted by ProvPlan.org (now defunct)

A small, three-story, flat-roof, brick industrial building easily visible from I-95 & 146. The four-by-five-bay structure is embellished with brick corbelling at the parapet on the façade. Pedestrian entrances set within segmental-arch openings are located on the south elevation. Fenestration is comprised of segmental-arch openings with 4/4 sash windows with concrete sills. A sign reading: “Louis Fink & Co. Dealers in Scrap Metal” is painted on the building’s north elevation. Oversized entrances for shipping and receiving of goods are located on the second and third floors of the façade. The building’s north elevation is devoid of window or door openings. A small paved parking area is located to the south.

The building was constructed between 1908 and 1919 when it appears on the Sanborn map of that year as a three-story, masonry “Junk” shop. At the time of its construction the property was owned by the Kotler family, who retained ownership until 1954 when the property was acquired by Louis Fink. It subsequently housed Louis Fink and Company, a scrap metal dealership. According to an existing RIHPHC data sheet for the property, the building stood vacant in the late 1970s. After changing hands again, it was sold in 1999 to C&S Realty LLC.