Saint John’s Rectory

About this Property

#Redevelopment

This former rectory has been known as the Old Court Bed & Breakfast since at least 1990. It was called the “Old Court” not because this building was once used as a courthouse, but because the building is located adjacent to the old Statehouse, which served as the first courthouse.

We are used to seeing rectory buildings closer to their churches, but this one is three blocks south and east one block up the hill from Saint John’s Episcopal Church on North Main street.

In May of 1986, the renovation of the building into an inn received a Providence Preservation Society award. Interestingly, they declare it was the city’s first bed and breakfast:

“…to Old Court Bed & Breakfast, 144 Benefit St., for high quality restoration and furnishing of the former Rectory of St. John’s Church as Providence’s first bed and breakfast place” ¹

In October 2023, owners Dustin Dezube and architect Kevin Diamond applied to the Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC) to replace 44 windows at this historic property. For this first application, PHDC staff determined that the proposed window replacements did “not meet the architectural standards for historic districts.”

We could not find a public copy of any follow up application with a window selection that met with the approval of the commission. It is likely to have happened without another public release of the request.

#Current Events

It looks like work is underway to secure the building from water damage along the roofline.

#History

From the PPS/RIHPHC Providence Architecture Guide, 2003, by Wm. MacKenzie Woodward

(Excerpt) These two technically Italianate houses by the same architect, Alpheus C. Morse, built contemporaneously across the street from each other, show the usual approach to the street’s topography. The rectory (144 Benefit), on the west side of the street, is entered at ground level where there is a fully exposed basement in the rear […] Gothic architecture was most closely associated with churches in the mid-nineteenth century, so the rectory’s Tudoresque hood molds over the windows minimally allude to the occupation of the occupant.

From the College Hill Historic District nomination form, Edward F. Sanderson & Keith N. Morgan, January 1976

St. John’s Church Rectory, Alpheus Morse, 1863-1866. Italianate: 3 stories; brick with brownstone trim; hipped roof with bracket cornice; symmetrical 3 bay facade with central entry with brownstone label.

City Directories

• The Providence almanac and business directory, 1880 — Unable to location the address and/or occupant. C.A.L. Richards is listed as the clergy for St. John’s Episcopal, North Main Street, but without an attachment to the 144 benefit Street address. (The public copy via Archive.org is not searchable)
• No directories between 1880 and 1932 are available for free to the public.
• Polk’s Providence (Providence County, R.I.) city directory, 1932 — Individual people are listed as residents of this address. No mention of St John’s Rectory.
• Polk’s Providence (Providence County, R.I.) city directory, 1985 — The residents of ten apartments are listed at this address.
• Polk’s Providence (Providence County, R.I.) city directory, 1990 — “144 Old Court The bed & breakfast” appeared for the first time.