Valley Street Place
also known as Zavota Brothers Transportation Company, Hallamore Transportation Co.
A low set of one-story buildings built into a hill along Valley Street have been razed for… something, we’re not sure
images of this Property
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About this Property
Reason for Demolition
The Valley Street Place flea market and associated tenants seem to have closed in 2019. Rumors on Reddit stated that the Providence VA purchased the property in 2020 for $1.4 million, but we have not been able to find a news story or press release to verify this.
In a 2022 Google Streetview photo, one can see a banner hung on the fence that says “Providence VA Medical Center Staff parking Annex.” This is the closest to primary source proof that we have been able to get. There are no public plans about what they plan to build here, if anything.
Tacqueria Taconaza
The Taqueria Taconaza was one of our favorite authentic Mexican taquerias. They operated out of a trailer with a wooden shack built around it and had the best “mixtale” (we swear they were called something like this but we can’t verify) burritos with chicharrón, chirizo, and carne asada as well as daily homemade pico de gallo. They closed and moved between June 2011 and 2014 according to Google Streetviews and the Providence Historical Aerial Viewer. They moved to 298 Pocasset Ave, Providence, RI.
Current Events
We will continue to keep an eye on this location to see what develops.
History
The property was built recently, by historic standards, so it does not appear in the usual places. It does not appear on a 1956 Sanborn Map (Volume 3, Plate 82 page 88). It does seem to appear in a 1962 aerial photo — though it is blurry, there seems to be something there as compared to the previous 1952 photo.
Business start to appear in Polk’s Providence starting in 1964:
- 1964 Polk’s Providence, page 1150 — Zavota Brothers Transportation Company, Joseph C Zavota President; Louis Zavota Vice President; Peter P Zavota Treasurer; 500 Valley Street. Same
- 1968 Polk’s Providence, page 519 — Jopelo Realty Company, Inc. Peter P Zavota President and Treasurer; Louis Zavota Vice President; Joseph C Zavota Secretary; 500 Valley Street. Zavota Brothers Transportation present, page 1104.
- 1972 Polk’s Providence — Same
- 1976 Polk’s Providence — Same
- 1980 Polk’s Providence — Same
- 1985 Polk’s Providence — Same
- 1990 Polk’s Providence page n415 — Hallamore Transportation Company, Paul A Gaboury President and Secretary; 500 Valley St
In the News
Investigators ‘burn’ pair for alleged DVD piracy
by Lisa Vernon-Sparks
Providence Journal | May 17, 2006 (abridged)
[…] Last September in Providence, authorities seized about 10,000 bootlegged CDs and DVDs, worth about $150,000, from the Valley Street Place flea market. […]
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VERNON-SPARKS, LISA. “Investigators ‘burn’ pair for alleged DVD piracy.” Providence Journal (RI), West Bay ed., sec. News, 17 May 2006, pp. D-01. NewsBank: America’s News, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=NewsBank&req_dat=D4BD6B42F1AB4706B5E1244D477DEE03&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews/15242840273CEFE8. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.