Town: Providence, RI

Gilbane Development Company created a new student housing complex by razing nine historic homes

A low-rise, 5-story apartment building on the waterfront with a strange design adds livable space but no character to the waterfront

A simple art-deco-inspired mid-century storefront in Federal Hill demolished for the promise of a new hotel.

A handsome two-story former wharf warehouse along Dyer street, backing up to the Providence River, used as a electric substation for about 100 years

A lovely split-square dual residence at the beginning of Atwells Avenue, razed in 2014 for a speculative development that has not come to pass

A square, seven story commercial building converted to apartments in the early aughts — a frontrunner to the downtown residential boom

A large mill built in stages with an iconic square, open-top stair tower visible from Interstate 95.

A Then & Now pair with more than 80 years between them

This turn-of-the-century Federal-style two-story wooden house-turned-resturant was razed quickly on Good Friday in 2021

Parcel 22 lot 2: A new 6 and 5 story boutique-brand hotel on the edge of the Jewelry District with views of the riverfront

A large, dense, castle-like former brewery turned warehouse space on the edge of Olneyville and Federal Hill

A collection of six brick buildings with a complicated history, series of owners, and name

An amazingly dense complex of mill structures dating from the mid-1800s and in use for over 100 years before succumbing to two large fires in the midst of plans to redevelop

A small, square remnant of a much larger Riverside Mills complex remained as City property for almost 30 years before being torn down.

A former clothing store built off the north side of Sears that stayed empty for years and years before being razed in 2009.

A quick redevelopment of two historic homes in an eroding historic district under pressure to provide “modern” student housing

A project that did not gain develepment approval will not go forward, but the demolition of these three houses will

A new 3-story building for offices, meeting rooms, and flexible classrooms clad in untreated steel sits in the corner of what once was a parking lot

A commercial space and apartment house best known for its colorful aquatic mural on a busy corner in Fox Point

A small brick industrial building in a predominantly residential neighborhood is the remaining legacy of a large bakery conglomerate

A low, 1970s-modern school building that had recent upgrades but is still on the list of schools to demolish and rebuild

A large, long, four-story 100 plus year old mill on the corner of Harris and Atwells is revived as apartments and commercial space

A handsome, symmetrical, two-story fire house that was built at a time when horses still drew fire apparartus

Built circa 1915, these concrete coal storage towers were demolished in late 2002 by oversight — a permit was granted despite their protection by inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

A long-standing and intact example of mill architecture from the late 1800s, available as studio and commercial space

An 1860s gasometer with unheroic uses for a century before being reborn as small business and community space

A series of late 19th and early 20th century mill buildings converted to residential during the boom of the mid-2000s

Two massive five-story, brick, pier-and-spandrel warehouses along the waterfront once used for storing cargo. Vacant for 15+ years before demolition from 2013-2015.

A simple Art Deco commercial building whose fate is uncertain now that its long-term tenant has moved out

This narrow, small footprint a hundred fifty year-old house had a prominent African-American artist as a resident for about 20 years

A simple, rectangular reb brick former-jewelry mill building seeing new uses in recent years

A visually-arresting former carriage house and stable behind one of Broadway’s most ornate mansions

An aging complex of four buildings, three more than 150 years old, that once housed the largest stove manufacturer in New England

A corner of great change, from prominant residential neighborhood to gritty industrial center and back again

A narrow, modern duplex building on a narrow, hard to build lot introduces hard angles to a residential neighborhood

Designed by star-chitect Paul Rudolph, this “modern” building by some standards shows the softer, human side of the Brutalist style of the 1960s

An almost two-century old building which has been in constant use for military-related purposes

About half of the “Mile of History,” documenting the western side of Benefit Street as it looked in 2004

A narrow home that was once owned by antique collectors and caretakers of the Bannister House next door

A local-chain tire and automotive parts outlet with four car-wide drive-through bays on a local retail corridor.

Nine homes on a block off Thayer Street were demolished ot make way for a large bulk of student apartments

Eight houses allowed to decay as student housing and easily demolished because of a lack of visual maintenance

Parcel 2c: A new 13-story office tower headquarters for BCBS Rhode Island built in 2008

Originally located along N. Main & Canal Sts., across from Roger Williams Park, Providence, the last meat-packing plant survived for about 50 years

The first building in Rhode Island made from recycled shipping containers is available for lease as office space

An opportunity for mid-century modern along a stretch of land opened up by razing older properties during the construction of I-95

The façade of this simple commercial building was left open for years before finally being finished off in an unattractive manner

A wood-frame mid-19th-century church in the heart of Broadway and Federal Hill stood until 1969, almost 100 years

A pair of turn-of-the-20th century buildings in use for commercial and automobile-related businesses with one being converted into apartments

A non-descript simple one-story brick and concrete structure on a busy commercial portion of Broadway

An unassuming commercial building gets a makeover in 2025 as a community gathering space and offices for a new non-profit

Two houses will be expanded within the confines of historic character and almost double the number of available apartments

A new infill home thoughtfully designed to fit the neighborhood while adhering to modern building practices

Two late-19th century houses are to be torn down in favor of a five-story mixed-use residential and commercial building in the College Hill Historic District

Once a circa 1920s car garage, most recently this was a commercial block home to Bagel Gourmet and East Side Mini-Mart, two Brown-University-student staples

A new set of residence halls to rise five stories along Brook Street, creating a pocket of dense stident housing

Twin 1875-era three-story mansard houses are decaying under ownership of Brown Univesity

Slow and steady wins this race — vacated in 1964, some of the buildings were in use as early as 1988, but only 30 years later has the entire complex been redeveloped

The existing BioMed center bounded by Brown, Meeting, Thayer, and Olive Streets got a $95M addition for a new Biomedical Research center

A modern, glassy set of student buildings on once taxable-land near the bustling Thayer Street commercial corridor

A large former gymnasium with a large enough indoor space to support a suspended indoor quarter mile track. Demolished in 2001.

A part of the Provisions District met the wrecking ball in 2011. Owner of this and nearby buildings, The Providence Journal Company, used deferred maintenance as an excuse.

A bricked-in and enclosed one-story building along Kinsley Avenue exploded in a chemical fire that leveled it and threw conder blocks across the street

A converted industrial office building became the State Traffic Tribunal but closed for better digs

Two distinctive buildings joined together as downtown residential lofts — both with unique features, design, and spaces

A beautiful Second-Empire style, iron storefront, six-story commercial building on the edge of Exchange Place until a fire destroyed it in 1925

A former department store turned rock club venue turned loft apartments whose conversion contributed to making Downtown Providence bustle again

A photo from 1982 is updated in 2005, before additional new buildings rise up, and then again in 2024

A 250+ year old home belonging to one of the captain’s that took part in the burning of the Gaspee

A handsome school building in the middle of a dense neighborhood that will be closing in the spring of 2023

A four-turned-five-story 19th-century commercial building goes residential to support 44 micro-lofts and a younger clientele

Since its acquisition in 1902, this mid-19th-century church has been studio and student activity space adjacent to the RISD Museum

Worcester Lunch Car #806 has had a long life and many names but continues to attract new entrepreneurs who want to make a go of the restaurant business

The story of two central fire stations located on the perimeter of Exchange Place, now Kennedy Plaza.

A hub of student and museum activity for RISD named after the late Happy Chase, an ardent preservationist of properties along Benefit Street

A former industrial building converted to a Benny’s department store and then converted to a strip mall

A proposed 12-story modular building comprised of individual apartments pre-built and stacked in place was designed but never built

These three restaurants are a gateway to memories of mid-century immigrant restaurants and their impact on our taste buds.

Closed in 1981, this William R. Walker and Son-designed church was vacant for over 20 years before neglect contributed to its demise.

A wonderful meeting of Brutalist and roadside architecture in a striking circular floor plan that fit the location at the apex of Broadway and Atwells Avenue quite well.

A neighborhood battle and a prolonged redevelopment took down Clark’s to replace it with mixed-use residential and commercial space

A mid-century brick indistrial building on the edge of the Jewelry District is given new life as part of Johnson & Wales University

A non-descript industrial steel-frame building is coverted to medical laboratory space

A slowly built-up set of factory buildings that decayed for more than a decade before being razed for… a flower farm

A handsomely-detailed yellow brick commercial building with an active bar on the first floor and currently empty upper floors

A 100-year-old theater built at the height of vaudeville, traveling acts, and the advent of movies has had a storied past and gone in and out of business at various times

Two indistinct one-story infill buildings flanked by 100+ year old two-story mill buildings that manufactured fire safety equipment

One of the oldest industrial buildings in the state with a rich history that continues to this day

An almost 100 year old apartment building turned dormitory became too downtrodden to be useful.

This former hotel has sat vacant and underused for 20 years or more and only recently is being renovated

This highly trafficked corner of the city shows substantial changes over approximately 40 years

Once the largest manufacturer of costume jewelry, this building was vacant in the 80s but then revived by Lifespan as their corporate headquarters

A mapping project to trace the origins and evolution of the Cove Basin north of Downtown and south of Smith Hill, from 1823 to present day

An elaborate four and a half story Medieval Gothic armory has been plagued by underutilization for the past 20 years

The “Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge” at Crook Point was abandoned in 1976 but once carried Providence, East Providence, Warren, & Bristol train lines

A worsted yarn mill under the same ownership for 60 to 80 years has been home to small businesses and a plastics company for at least the last 20

A small stature mill building in a residential neighborhood with many uses over the years is now residential

A low slung jewelry manufacturing building on the edge of the Jewelry District is now the main Student Services Center for Johnson & Wales University

A 60 year old metal blacksmithing business known for its craft, ingenuity, and dedication to quality fabrication

A large 250,000 sf brick mill complex used for rubber manufacture over almost 100 years, now divided into office and retail space

A comfortable old man bar for young people during the early 2000s

A former church mission turned into a series of unsavory businesses establishments until a 30 year old law allowing indoor prostitution was rewritten

A low-slung, semi-circular mid-century modern transportation hub in downtown Providence.

A non-descript location captured 45 years ago with an evolution that deserved to be recaptured

A late ninteenth century dye house of the larger Weybosset Mills which has lately become a boutique hotel

A unique view of the edge of the Jewelry District where it meets Downtown Providence

An over 180-year-old mill structure with the Woonasquatucket river at its back and a former office building fronting Manton Avenue

A handsome single story early 20th-century storefront tastfully converted to a local bakery and coffee shop

A relatively simple carriage house down the hill from Benefit Street featuring unique architectural details and construction

In use for almost 70 years, the East Side Train tunnel burrows beneath College Hill and once connected Union Station to East Providence

21st-century modernist construction for micro-loft student housing at the base of College Hill

New apartment construction on a previously vacant lot as part of a larger block of residential renovations

Parcel 28: A new, dense, trapezoidal residential building with ground-floor retail on the edge of the Jewelry District

A popular restaurant since 1973 in a unique red brick building that was an early horse-drawn apparatus Fire Station

A 150-year-old firehouse annex gets a third life as an expanded residence and art studio after a residential conversion in the 1990s

A wonderful Beaux-Arts fire station on the east side of Providence that has been vacant since 2017

A small, unassuming but nicely detailed brick firehouse from the mid-19th century on Providence’s West Side

A pair of auto-centric businesses constructed as the “new” highway was carved through Providence in the 50s/60s.

A three-hundred year old house with a varied history, a little mystery, and larger questions about what is worth preserving.

This cinder block building with a residential looking store facade slapped on it stood vacant for many years before demolition. Part of the way commercial retail comes and goes.

A contemporary, boxy building for student housing which contributes to the erosion of what was once an intact historic district

A historic home that was not officially verified as “historic”, therefore it was unprotected from demolition by neglect

A former fire station that had its façade completely replaced by 1970, and home to independent radio station WBRU

A non-descript downtown commercial building probably faced with enamel and steel details in the 1950s. Razed in 2005 for a condomuium tower that was never built

A striking 3-story mansard former office building for a larger manufacturing complex of woven goods turned into various small office spaces

A simple building located next to the former Sportsman’s Inn (now the Dean Hotel) that was razed for a never-built hotel.

The littlest building in downtown (not including parking lot shelters) that was once home to small coffee shops.

Falling into disrepair since the 1970s, this once important community center found new use and continues to support the neighborhood and Providence schoolchildren

A rare apartment row house with interconnected interior spaces and original details gets a facelift and modern new addition

An unconventional home (for Providence) in a conventional working class neighborhood

This chalet-style 19th century Stone & Carpenter design was reivigorated in 2002 with new foundation and additional connecting buildings to expand Brown’s Hillel Center

A handsome, symmetrical façade, Greek-revival inspired mid-19th-century mill building that seems to have always been well cared for

The earliest steel-framed buildings in the city, constructed by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company of Connecticut

A group of three unexciting buildings have been razed to make way for an undetermined future development

Parcel 8: An early-addition to Capital Center, built next to the new train station after Waterplace Park was created

A quietly operational General Electric light bulb plant for over 70 years until a swift demolition after 20 years of neglect

An unassuming former ice cream factory on a busy road through a residential neighborhood

At only 12 1/2 feet deep, the George Arnold building is an anomoly in the Downtown Historic District

A four-story apartment building with first floor cast-iron store fronts has a rich 150 years of history

An almost 100-year old Greek Revival style school building is being razed for a new pre-K through 8th grade building

A late 18th-century inn in the heart of Colonial Providence’s political seat

Photos captured a late 1700s grand hotel’s last days in 1941

A small but mighty former firefighter training facility turned art space and music venue and most recently, a hostel concept

A sprawling complex and a leading designer of silver goods for 100 years or more. Still in business (not in RI) as part of the Lenox Corporation.

A state-of-the-art grenhouse, specializing in leafy greens and basil, opened in 2019 on the site of a former industrial plant

Two buildings, one still extant and the other recently demolished, in a fruit and produce warehouse portion of Valley Street

A mid-sized 4-story mill of red brick and stucco in the middle of a residential neighborhood became apartments in 2009

A conglomeration of possibly six 1 to 3 story structures bounded by Westminster, Union, and Weybosset Streets razed in 2005 for a proposed parking garage

A long fight over the demolition of a former neighborhood school — and a contributing structure to the Broadway-Armory Historic District.

Parcel 9: A modern, 13-story glass box reflecting the mall, the Westin, Union Station, and Waterplace park.

A former Providence Journal distribution center that was previously a milk processing plant is becomming a graffiti playground

A handsome, brick double house with a converted commercial space get an additional floor and apartment renovation

Three underutilized commercial buildings have been considered one since the 1930s and may face the wrecking ball

A handsome, turn-of-the century commercial investment property that continues to be a notable downtown office building and landmark due to its unique mural

What was left of the former lumber yard along Harris Ave. was replaced with new office space in 2009

A mid-century housing complex that survived the blast intended to take it down.

A modest hotel gets a facelift and an upgrade during the city’s development boom time

A former catholic school has been converted into 24 two-bedroom residential units on the East Side

Parcel 12: One of a few new hotels built in the late 2010s with barely an effort made to be more than a bland off-the-highway-style, could-be-anywhere hotel.

A mystery! How long did this slender building along Charles Street and the Moshassuck river stand?

A sweet little simple Art Deco brick gas station in the middle of the Hope Street commercial district. Probably contaminated and hard to subdivide, so it came down.

Long-time tenants Davis Dairy vacated in spring 2020 after a fire damaaged the upper floors of the house

A simple mill building with 100 years of history in use for jewelry manufacturing converted to commercial office space in the 1980s

A former high-art-style consumer banking lobby and offices becomes a 56,000 sf art library and housing for 500 students

A turn-of-the-century hotel with intact, 100-year old wood panelled bar enhanced by stained-glass windows and decorative terra cotta

This converted hotel has been restored to much of its former glory, without those great vertical decorative signs

As if being the center of a 1970s crime syndicate isn’t enough, this now unassuming building was once a church with a 110 foot spire

A two-story brick L-shaped mill along Eddy Street south of the corner of Eddy and Public Streets. In decay for 10 years or more before being razed in 2005.

The iconic “Superman” building, the tallest in the state, might be close to getting a new life as residential apartments

The roadway system of on and off ramps when I-195 cut through the Jewelry District and over the Providence River

The roadway system of on and off ramps and causeway over Wickenden Street and the murals that adorned it

An emblem and pin manufacturer with a long life as industrial/commercial space until a conversion to apartments

An 80' high, 400' long steel bridge spanning the Providence River, preassembled and floated into place on August 27, 2006

A forgotten building on the industrial edge of the north side may be getting a new life

A four story former mill on the south side of Providence that has been under the radar as large industrial-style studio and living spaces

A lovely little pub that we never had to pleasure of visiting. Construction on a 3 mile sewer project damaged the foundations beyond repair

A local scooter sales and repair shop with a side of delicious expresso drinks

A narrow but deep building had its modern refacing removed to reveal an original set of brickwork ornamentation. Now being used as office space

A love it or hate it concrete structure in the Brutalist style — its knobby elbows sticking out as decoration

Parcel 31: A brand-new Johnson & Wales facility and the first project to break ground where I-195 used to be

A small one-story industrial building has been home to a design studio for about 50 years but is now awaiting a new owner

A turn-of-the-century 6-story downtown commercial building that is now part of the RISD campus

A stately former hospital turned religious education center will become fourteen apartments along Blackstone Boulevard

An elaborate home decorated with “gingerbread” details and the former workshop of notable designers A. & L. Tirocchi is now a collective-run bed & breakfast & artist residency program

This handsome trapezoidal mill building with chamfered corner in the Jewelry District was converted to lofts in 2004.

A complex with two remaining late-19th century brick mill buildings remaining, though newer additions and layers of paint obscure them

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

This three-story former lumber yard and wood working business has over a hundred years of history

A nine-story commercial building turned residential and joined the ranks of its neightbors in the collective called “Westminster Lofts”

Two 19th-century commercial buildings come together to create a unique hotel with historic character

A striking black and cerulean blue Art Deco first floor facade adorns this commercial building along a historically significant portion of upper Westminster Street

A contemporary white box sits atop a ribbon of glass and contains a flexible set of performance spaces that can be configured in multiple ways

This 300-ton house was rotated and moved 450 feet up Olive Street in one piece over the course of three days

This former jewelry manufacturing building was converted to office use in the late 1970s and is now the Brown Medical School

A neglected little brick Greek-revival building vacant and boarded up since a fire in the 1990s succumbed to extensive roof damage in 2020

While only a small 2,600 sf portion of the original complex remains, it’s great that it was saved

A small house gifted to Brown University was razed in favor of expanding the Life Sciences Building along Meeting St

Parcel 14: This Neo—Classical Revival structure stood unfinished for 80 years before finally getting a new life as a hotel in 2004.

A five-story red brick former Freemasons hall in very good historic condition converted to commercial space in the 1980s

An over 170-year-old congregation has served the needs of people in the center of Downtown Providence from a 120-year-old church building

A new four-story apartment building with commercial space replaces a century-old 2 1/2 story gable roof house

One the last remaining historic homes on the Thayer to Brook Street block demolished for a new structure

This imposing, 6-story cold storage facility ran continuously for 98 years. It fell to the wrecking ball before converting these buildings became the cool thing to do

“That very Rhode Island, deliberately shabby den of loud music, cheap beer and all kinds of people”

One of the first artist-led redevelopment projects post-Eagle Square, these 21 units have remained in artist’s hands, some with afforability restrictions

A rare “Collegiate Gothic”-style high school faces potential demolition as educators and the public struggle with the complex emotions surrounding a quality public education

This ornate former single-family home was built in stages and owned by two prominent business people that almost succumbed to the wrecking ball

A simple and relatively small yet handsome three-story building has stood on this corner for 100 years.

A large mill complex of 13 buildings on 2 acres was converted to apartments and commercial space in 2005

A modern gymnasium that borrowed some of the classically-inspired details of the building it replaced

A large mill complex on the West Side of Providence turns into residential lofts at the beginning of the boom

A 19th century former volunteer firehouse turned into commercial space on a busy urban corner

A new 6-story apartment in downtown with 143 studio, 1- and 2-bedroom apartments was developed by Cornish Associates and opened in 2020

The first new residential facility built at RISD in 34 years offers 148 rooms to first-year students

A rather small commercial storefront that was a branch bank for some time but abandoned for many years before eventual demolition.

A classically-inspired former bank with soaring vaulted ceiling finds new life as a performing arts center

An almost 100-year old business in an even older building was hastily razed in 2021

Parcel 6a: A seven story low rise condominium complex along the Blackstone River with 255 units — the first phase of a larger residential center

The OneTen tower would have been the tallest building in Providence, and the tallest residential tower in New England at the time.

A late-nineteeth-century warehouse building with thick walls, strong floors, and details reminiscent of an armory building

A mid-century, pre-Brutalist retail amenity in downtown was razed only to avoid maintenance costs

A handsome yellow brick, seven story building with ornate white brickwork designs has become a dozen luxury residences with ground-floor retail

Parcel 6: A mixed-use commercial and residential development on land vacated by the relocation of interstate 195

About 50 apartments and seven stories was considered for Pike Street with an unusual screen wall featuring a LED lighting display

The first LEED-certified college residence hall in the state, part of the Rhode Island College campus

A six-story early Moderne former bank lobby and upper-floor offices was redeveloped in fits and starts into residential apartments

A group of turn-of-the-century mills get converted into affordable residential units and commercial/office space

A stone mill formerly used as a machine parts manufacturer and now commercial office space

A fire-damaged former church used for many years as a furniture storage facility recently turned into 15 residential units

A late 90s/early 2000s conversion of a small mill with new addition on North Main Street into luxury condos

Six new apartments in a trendy-styled contemporary building sited on a once vacant lot overlooking a historically significant part of the city

An unassuming rehabilitation of a simple mid-century industrial space into a modern office

Parcel 22 lot 1: A hub of scientific and academic innovation and one of the first projects to break ground in the newly available I-195 District

This 70-year-old diner car sat on blocks for 10 years before being restored and reopened as a classic breakfast and lunch diner

A plethora of pithy postcard images from the turn of the century.

A small but charming red square building in various states of repair and neglect over the years

A fire on Christmas morning gutted the building, but the Masonic Lodge members plan to rebuild, and you can help.

This freight house was part of one of the first major railroad stations in America and one of the few only surviving structures of its architect Thomas A. Tefft

A relatively recent construction for large sporting and entertainment events, modernized in the late 2000’s to connect to the Convention Center

A newer complex of brick structures built up and around an almost 200-year old stone mill

This property is actually a tale of three things — competitive cycling, a football stadium, and the Providence Steamroller

A mill redevelopment that tried to be different than the typical luxury condos and one that change residential zoning to help make units more affordable

A late 1920s Tudoresque fire station on the East Side of Providence is seeking ideas for reuse

A long, low slung industrial building west of the highway and in the shadow of the Providence Place Mall. Neglect over ten years as well as some nefarious local dealings took the building down.

Once the center of an ambitious waterfront redevelopment project, the building is now underutilized

Demolished as part of the relocation of I-195 in the early 2000s, this large mill complex was home 45 small businesses, art studios, and a bar.

A neo-Georgian building that was home to the original home to the Providence National Bank Company. Razed for a proposed hotel that was never built.

A 1980s conversion from industrial to residential condominiums by the same developer of the Davol Rubber Company

A tiny former boiler house becomes a popular bar with a large cultural impact on Providence’s waterfront

A 100-year-old ornamental steel and iron manufacturer gets a new life as a center for vocational training and art creation

A two-story industrial building used mainly as a nightclub in recent years flies under the radar in the Jewelry District — a hotbed of new development

This 60 year-old Art Deco structure was vacated in 2000 for new digs across the highway. It stayed vacant for 6 years until a proposed condo structure took it down.

A long industrial mill along the Atwells Avenue off ramp was home to the C.J. Fox company for 60 years before conversion to office space

A simple mid-century industrial building used for jewelry industry purposes over the past 50 years razed in 2011 for speculative purposes

This former automobile service and repair shop is crumbling just outside of Olneyville Square

A big hulking 5300-person capacity civic auditorium that hosted sports and entertainment for close to 50 years.

Parcel 15b: A new bank construction done in a classical form on Smith Hill steps away from the State House.

This building survived for 115 years before becoming too outdated to stay relevant in an ever-expanding hospital system

Parcel 3 of 25: A brand-new Level 3 health laboratory will upgrade the state's health crisis reponse and research capabilities

A sprawling pre-Civil-War-era complex with a proud history of metal manufacturing of many kinds, including armaments

This modestly small but ornate brick building became the home to the Providence Revolving Fund

An unassuming single story commercial property razed for the Walgreens and condos at 333 Atwells Ave.

A sliver of an 1829 structure survives under this turn-of-the-20th-century vaudeville theatre turned movie house turned commercial storefronts

A new building takes advantage of a small space to introduce additional density in an already dense edge of downtown and the Jewelry District

Two mid-to-late-century buildings will be demolished for a new Brown University science lab, connected and in proximity to other biotech and science-related facilities

This former stable is a remnant of a larger house that was razed in the 1940s and now stands as a handsome private home

One of the oldest mill structures in Olneyville, this building housed a collection of 60 artists who were forced out in 2004

A small commercial building surrounded by parking lots razed for an 800 car parking garage for Johnson & Wales University

A six-story, square plan apartment building adding density to the Jewelry District

A beautifully detailed late 19th-century double house will succumb to the wrecking ball in favor of more of the same modern apartment building design

A former floating gourmet restaurant moored on South Water Street just outside where the Hot Club is today, before the current boat slips

A large stately building has been converted to 11 apartments as a mix of modern finishes with historic details

A mid-century building in an older style is converted from a former rectory to residential apartments

A small colonial house along Meeting St with ties to the Civil War’s “Colored” infantry and African American’s fight for equal education rights in the state

An almost 200 year old brick house has seen many changes, from home of a three term Providence Mayor to an industrial business

A boarded-up retail space along a retail corridor in need of rethinking

One of the last big box stores on North Main Street, closed since the mid-to-late 90s. Demolished in 2014 to become infill for a parking lot.

This mid-1800s structure was one the few examples of Providence’s eminent architect Thomas Tefft but burned in 2006.

RISD-graduate Sheperd Fairey has pasted and painted his art over many decaying (and not-decaying) Providence buildings

A former waterfront nightclub overlooking Narragansett Bay that operated under many different names in its 10 year lifespan

An early demolition of a large mill complex that flew under the radar in the early 2000s. Replaced by a Home Depot shopping center.

A 60-year history slinging good, hearty diner food evaporated into a cyclone of legal battles. The diner itself is still unrestored.

After almost 100 years involved in heavy industry, this building became home to a variety of office and retail uses

An innovative early 70s hyperbolic paraboloid roof structure design that allowed a 130' x 325' uninterrupted interior space

A large condominium complex in a desirable neighborhood that hit the market just after the late-2000s real estate collapse

An old house gets a renovation and a nearby addition for a total of five new “luxury” condominium units

A massive 58,000 sf former electricity generating station went through three different redevelopment projects over 20 years before finally being completed

A narrow 3-story building built as infill when rail lines were removed in the Provisions Warehouse District. Most recently a set of nightclubs.

A truck showroom turned office for the State’s Board of Elections has one redevelopment plan rejected as it waits for new ideas

Parcel 6b: A six-story pile of setbacks and surface changes along the Moshassuck River, Amtrack train corridor, and the State House

A small flatiron-style 19th century mill building right on the bank of the Moshassuck River in a formerly dense industrial area

A charming flat-iron style building on Charles Street, built circa 1874, changed drastically in the past 50 years

This reinforced concrete frame building was the first modern-style, large windowed design in the City

This unassuming golden brick, pier and spandrel commercial building has been part of the Johnson & Wales campus since the mid-1960s

A mid-19th century small scale commercial brick mill has been a home to various businesses and loving owners

A former downtown bar forced to move after the building was razed for a hotel that was never built

Could the newest owner of this long neglected building finally turn it back into the jewel it used to be?

Parcel 9: A new five-story, 127-unit development breaks ground with phase 1 in 2023

A narrow and difficult to redevelop building languished on the Ten Most Endangered List for five years before getting a new life

A present-day example of early car service culture — white enamelled panels with bright green and red accents and an utilitarian design

The ever changing face of Thayer Street captured whenever we can (mostly from 2004 and 2020)

A new building to replace three previous structures seems to have stalled after developers added an additional level for a total of five stories

Another erosion of the neighborhood fabric, moving from wood-built houses to slick “modern concept” commercial structures

An early entry into the luxury apartment market built in 2003. By 2005 it was purchased and redeveloped as 330 condominiums.

This over 190 year old structure survived 170 years as an indoor mall but now is a collection of retail and micro-loft styles residential condos

A three-quarters of a billion dollar investment in Downtown Providence, 2005, that was too good to be true

A photo recreation series of a RISD student portfolio taken in 1975 and 1976 — recreated in 2008

A large, late 19th-century mill complex razed for the relocation of I-195 in the mid-2000s. The complex was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

A late 19th-century investment building used as commercial space for over 100 years recently turned into residential upper floors.

4-story new construction marries a 2-story Greek Revival 150 years younger at the base of College Hill

A 27,000 sf piece of the former US Rubber Works has been developed into the Waterfire Arts Center

A masterpiece of the Italian Romanesque style designed by a young newcomer who would later become an architecture star in his relatively short life

This 120-year old station has see fires and rehabilitation, but the remarkably handsome structure is still standing and useful and full of tenants

A former power substation along the train tracks has most recently been an after-hours nightclub but has now been vacant since 2018

A former trolley car barn along the busy thoroughfare of Broad Street has been reduced twice to a much smaller industrial space on the corner of Thurbers and Prairie

A dense complex of 20 buildings built over the course of 50 years has ben converted from maufacturing to new-arts-industrial to residential

Thirty “workforce’-priced apartment units in a three-story podium building occupying long vacant space on the West Side

A low set of one-story buildings built into a hill along Valley Street have been razed for… something, we’re not sure

The one that started a revolution. A 13 acre site, bounded by Atwells Ave, Eagle Street, and Valley Street, housing cheap artist studio space and the famous Fort Thunder arts collective.

A new addition to a old home (and the demolition of another) on historic Angell St. brings new character and more space to those that want to find their zen

A collection of handsome late-19th- and early-20th-century buildings that served as headquarters for a knitted good company as well as rental space for jewelry businesses

An older building made way for a new patient care and operating room facility in the middle of a dense residental neighborhood

Old aerials of Providence taken from different vantage points and at different times in its development.

A relatively low-slung and simple early 20th century former car repair garage in a residential portion off Broadway

An ornate mill-company-built community space subdivided into offices during the last century

A recently underutilized mill building with distinctive central octoganol tower to become 225 apartments and commercial space

A large parcel of land on the edge of the jewelry district whose 1- and 2-story buildings were razed by speculation but nothing yet occupies the site.

A nice, simple early 20th century building on a busy commercial corridor with some subtle Art Deco details

A small mercantile-style building razed for a never-built Sierra Suites Hotel in 2008. This building housed a few well-loved storefronts — New Japan, Cuban Revolution, and the Talk of the Town bar.

A new five-story apartment building set on two adjoined lots on the edge of the Thayer Street shopping district

A new three story, boxy and flat modern apartment building on an important historic East Side corner

A turn-of-the-20th-century former funeral home will be demolished for a new apartment building on the edge of Wayland Square

A large complex of mill buildings spread out over three city blocks is only partially intact and undergoing revitalization in different forms

Parcel 2: A pair of residential towers built during the mid-2000s post 9-11 boom — condos selling at the time for $300k to $1m.

A 56,000 square foot center for Brown University’s international studies students

A two-unit commercial strip once home to a 100-year-old bakery business is razed in Wayland Square

An over 200 year old house avoids demolition, but very little of its original interior remains

A circa 1900 collection of mill buildings are still in use as manufacturing, small business space, and studios even though the building itself needs maintenance

A blocky, not very interesting building adds much needed housing to an already dense neighborhood

A mix of retail, parking, hotel rooms, and upscale condominiums. At 31 stories and 358 feet tall, it is currently the 3rd tallest structure in Rhode Island.

Four residential units plus retail in a industrial chic box added density to the West Side in 2007.

A contemporary 3-story in-fill home designed to be the first energy passive multi-family dwelling in Providence

A WBNA project house built on the site of a former auto body business along bustling Westminster Street

A classic mid-century brick and limestone commercial building transformed into a highly visible commercial, residential, and rooftop restaurant space

Vacant since 1987, this building stood on the West Side across from Central High School for over 20 years before being completely razed to the ground.

Additional apartments have been added to a busy street corner but at the cost of a neighborhood institution

Brown University builds a +300,000 square foot life sciences laboratory in the center of the Jewelry District

The Fletcher building marks the first foray into downtown Providence for RISD and its graduate students

A small, five-story commercial building that underwent a modern renovation into 12 apartments on a busy downtown street

A quaint small cottage is delicately saved by a considerate addition and rebuild while the large lot was subdivided to support monster new construction

Smaller than its neighbors, this 2-story commercial building joined the ranks of its neightbors in the collective called “Westminster Lofts”

A non-descript one story building in the jewelry district was once a job training program for impoverished women

A sweet and spare little gas and service station formerly on Eddy Street. Love the painted transom sign.