Upton Residences
Thirty “workforce’-priced apartment units in a three-story podium building occupying long vacant space on the West Side
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About this Property
Proposal
The land where the former What Cheer Steam Laundry once stood went through about ten years of remediation before it was ready for new construction. The Upton is a development by Truth Box Architects and D+P Real Estate, who also developed the adjacent Urban Greens site. The builder was Durham Construction.
From the now defunct Upton website (pulled from the Internet Archive):
The Upton residences is a new housing development for Providence’s workforce completed in fall of 2019. The community houses 30 new residential units with a variety of 1 & 2 bedroom apartments. It is conveniently located adjacent to a new co-op grocery store with designated parking on site. This building features super-insulated, double stud wall construction for extreme energy efficiency and superb indoor air quality. All of the units feature, modern architect designed kitchens and bathrooms, generous living spaces with 8’+ ceiling heights. Please note that income restrictions apply.
A listing for one of the apartments states the income restrictions to be:
- 1 person household — $89,040.00 max income
- 2 person household — $101,760 max income 1
According to the architect’s website, the siding is Hardiboard panelling, a cement- and fiber-based product that is guaranteed 20 years before paint is needed. The bright contrasting colors are reminiscent of many of Peter Case’s other projects. The roof is covered in solar panels with individual HVAC units per apartment and the floors are sustainably harvested Bamboo hardwood.2
Design Reception
The project won an AIA Honor award in 2020. We can’t find the primary source for this, but we can guess that the sustainability and construction quality of the project along with its ethos to embrace affordability restrictions is what won the jury over.
Is it a beautiful building? That’s a very subjective question. There are lots to like about it without judging its aesthetics: adding housing here there once was none, doing it sustainably and affordably, incorporating parking into the structure, and doing it adjacent to a source of groceries, saving on little weekly drives to get food. All of these are things to love.
We like the building. It does not stand out too much nor does it try to make a bold statement. It’s new construction housing in a formerly industrial part of town. It now has new housing in the neighboring former Citizens Bank complex at Hoyle Square, and we appreciate its contrast to that architecture. The patterns and colors are pleasing without trying too hard. We hope to see more landscaping once the neighboring building becomes occupied.