Upcoming
PPS Events | |
December 5
Downtown Holiday Festival
January 21
Annual Meeting
February 6
Winter Bash
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2009 Downtown Holiday Festival Saturday, December 5
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Celebrate the Season with the
Providence Preservation Society
Downtown Holiday Festival!
 Tickets are still available for the PPS Downtown Holiday Festival! Ticket holders will tour eleven renovated residential and commercial spaces and will have access to two lectures - on the Union Trust Company Building (1901) and skyscrapers in the American Renaissance, and on recent development in Downtown - as well as an opportunity to enjoy a docent-led guided tour. The Holiday Festival will feature entertainment throughout Downtown, including carolers, performance groups, and hay rides, and will culminate with a parade at 5:45 from the Arcade to City Hall, where Mayor David Cicilline will conduct his traditional tree lighting at 6:00 p.m. Afterward, party with PPS at an After-Tour Celebration sponsored by Lite Rock 105 and featuring special guest Tiny Tavares, of the Grammy Award-winning band Tavares, famous for their hit singles "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" and "More Than a Woman." Tickets for the Holiday Festival Tours are $25.00 through December 3; $30.00 if purchased at the event. Tickets for the After-Tour Celebration are $75.00 and include a Tour ticket. To learn more, visit the PPS Events web page or call (401) 831-7440. Upcoming Events
Annual Meeting - January 21 Beneficent Congregational Church 300 Weybosset Street Providence, RI 02903
Winter Bash!100 Westminster StreetSave the Date: February 6, 2010 It's getting closer to midnight in The Garden of Good & Evil. Start picking out your mask for the Winter Bash 2010! Tickets will be on sale in January. | Preservation
New Preservation and Advocacy Coordinator at PPS
We are pleased to announce that Kathleen M. Styger joined the Providence Preservation Society as its Preservation & Advocacy Coordinator on November 16, 2009.
Kathleen joins PPS from the Downtown Crossing Partnership in Boston where she was Associate Director of Planning and Policy. In that role, Kathleen focused primarily on planning and community outreach efforts toward forming a Business Improvement District for Downtown Boston, the first such district in that city.
A Newport resident, Kathleen holds a B.A. in Cultural and Historic Preservation from Salve Regina University and a M.C.P. in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Most Endangered Properties '09 Update: Grove Street School
 In the ongoing saga of the neglected and deteriorating Grove Street School, the Providence Building Official gave notice on July 10, 2009 to its owners, setting forth measures required to make the building safe. The owners, citing costs, are appealing this ruling. On November 5, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. at 190 Dyer Street, the Providence Building Board of Review heard the owners' appeal. The process will continue at the next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, December 10 at 3:30 p.m. The Board requested clarified cost estimates for the work required. For more information, call the Building Board of Review at (401) 421-7740.
Most Endangered Properties Update:
Providence National Bank Building Facade and
Teste Block
 The owner of the 1940s-era 50 Weybosset Street façade, all that remains of the demolished Providence National Bank and First Federal Bank buildings, appeared before the Downcity Design Review Committee in November appealing for permission to remove the façade. The buildings were demolished in anticipation of development that has since been halted due to market conditions. PPS and others advocated for retention of the façade as a condition of demolition permitting. The façade was included as an element in the Downtown Providence National Register district listing on the 2009 Ten Most Endangered Properties List to highlight the fact that the overall quality of the Providence Downtown National Register District is threatened by the lack of formal public policy that respects preservation values.
As the Mayor's Working Group on Historic Preservation, formed after the loss of the Fruit and Produce building, highlighted in its final report, Providence has in place no meaningful financial penalties when planned developments allowed at the expense of historic fabric do not occur. Like the Fruit and Produce building and the Police & Fire Station, the buildings on the façade's current site between Westminster and Weybosset Streets were demolished on promises of new construction that has not happened. PPS has advocated for, and the City of Providence needs, a demolition policy that holds property owners accountable for their commitments to the City by mandating financial penalties in the event that plans are not carried out.
The Downcity Design Review Committee requested additional information from the property owner and will continue its review at a meeting scheduled for December 14 at 4:45 p.m. at the Department of Planning.
| Education
"American Renaissance" Revisited with Lecture at Downtown Holiday Festival
 Dr. R. Tripp Evans, Associate Professor of Art History and Chair of the Art and Art History Department at Wheaton College, will present a lecture at this year's Downtown Holiday Festival on December 5. His lecture, "Federal, Unreserved: Union Trust and the Vertical American Renaissance," will elaborate on the subject of the October PPS Fall Symposium, "Providence and the American Renaissance." Providence's architecturally exuberant Union Trust Company Building (1901) is both a model of American Renaissance design and an important example of Rhode Island's contribution to the evolution of skyscraper style. Taking a look at the architects, client, and historical context of this building, Dr. Evans will explore its significance as a marker of the city's unique banking and design history.
Admission to the lecture is included with purchase of a Downtown Holiday Festival ticket. For more information about the Festival, or to purchase tickets, please visit our website or call PPS at 831-7440.
Recent Marker Awards
 Through its Historic Property Marker Program, PPS recognizes buildings in the City of Providence that contribute to the appreciation and understanding of Providence's unique architectural, historical, and cultural heritage. Markers are awarded to buildings that retain integrity of their original design, are appropriately and well maintained, and are at least 50 years old. The purpose of the program is not only to identify buildings of historical and architectural significance, but also, through heightened community awareness, to encourage the continuing care and preservation of individual buildings and neighborhoods.
The following properties were awarded PPS Historic Property Markers during the second half of 2009:
WEEKS-WRIGHT HOUSE, Built 1911, 12 Everett Avenue, Wayland Avenue Historic District
CARL AND DOROTHY O. JAGOLINZER HOUSE, Built 1935-1937, Tudor Revival, 42 Eames Street, Freeman Plat Historic District
HARRY L. KOOPMAN HOUSE, Built 1913, Colonial Revival,76 Taber Avenue, Wayland Avenue Historic District
GEORGE G. AND ROSE A. GERBER HOUSE, Built 1931-1932, Colonial Revival, 265 Freeman Parkway, Blackstone Boulevard - Cole Avenue - Grotto Avenue Historic District
EARL D. AND CLAUDINE F. SANFORD HOUSE, Built 1931-1933, Colonial Revival, 325 Cole Avenue, Blackstone Boulevard - Cole Avenue - Grotto Avenue Historic District
JOHN E. AND AGNES H. LENT HOUSE, Built 1922-1923, Dutch Colonial Revival, 509 Wayland Avenue, Freeman Plat Historic District,
DR. MICHAEL L. AND ELLA C. MULLANEY HOUSE, Built 1931, Tudor Revival, 604 Elmgrove Avenue, Blackstone Boulevard Realty Plat Historic District
For more information about the Marker Program, including qualifying standards and a downloadable application, visit the PPS website. Only the exterior of the building and its surrounding landscape will be examined and evaluated. Aluminum siding, vinyl siding, and vinyl replacement windows will automatically disqualify a property. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis by a committee of volunteer historic preservation professionals. You may also contact Education Coordinator Kathleen McAreavey at (401) 831-7440, ext. 103 or kmcareavey@ppsri.org.
Wheeler School Tour on Slavery
 On Tuesday, November 24th, Wheeler School 7th grade students participated on a day-long walking tour of Providence sites historically linked to the slave trade. Longtime PPS docent Mr. Ed Hooks guided the students through Brown University's University Hall, the John Brown House, and the Old State House. PPS is pleased to have collaborated with the Wheeler School and grateful to Mr. Ed for giving so generously of his time. We are also grateful to the staff at the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, which is housed in the Old State House, for allowing us to use the space on that day.
Something Upstairs Kite Project Flies Over to PPS
 As part of a 2008 summer reading project for his school, rising 6th grader Robbie Oliver chose Something Upstairs, by the popular author Avi. His mother, Colleen, contacted PPS to inquire about the tour of Providence we offer based on the book, and on an August Saturday in 2008, PPS veteran docent Jack Welch led a personalized tour for the family of 1800s Providence, including Fox Point, College Hill, and the waterfront.
Robbie's project included an oral presentation, written report, and a "kite" illustrating the story. Just this week the Olivers came to PPS from southeastern Massachusetts to share the result. Directions for the kite project will be added to the curriculum PPS created to support the tour. We thank the Olivers for sharing this creative way of learning about our wonderful city and Jack Welch for giving so generously of his time on a beautiful summer Saturday.
| Volunteer Opportunity
Downtown Holiday Festival Volunteers Still Needed
It's not too late to volunteer to be a part of one of the great holiday traditions in Providence! PPS is looking for outgoing and energetic volunteers to act as guides in the homes featured on the Downtown Holiday Festival tour. The homes are open from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., but volunteers are asked to serve only one shift: from 11:00 - 2:00, or from 2:00 - 5:00. During the opposite shift, each registered volunteer will receive one complimentary tour admission.
Guides work with a captain and a small team in each home to provide information to tour goers throughout the home in which they are stationed. Guides will be provided with some historic and architectural information about the home to share with guests on the tour. Guides are usually stationed in one location within the home as assigned by the captain.
To volunteer, please e-mail Volunteer Coordinator Barbara Zdravesky at barbara.zdravesky@gmail.com.
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Community Notes
Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, To Retire in Spring 2010
PPS is a National Trust for Historic Preservation Local Partner. For the complete press release from the National Trust, click here.
Saving Historic Places: Help for Homeowners
 Homeowners are on the frontlines of preservation. So the National Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to offer a new section on its website designed just for owners of older and historic homes. Made possible by the generous support of Valspar Paints, the new section features homes for sale, interviews with homeowners, and a new Weatherization Guide to help you get ready for winter. To learn more, click here.
Historic Buildings of Providence College
September 8 - December 15
Phillips Memorial Library foyer
Exhibit is free and open to the general public.
The display highlights the founding of Harkins Hall, and the early days of Dominic and Martin Halls through original photographs. Photographs chronicle Martin Hall, once known as Guzman Hall, and Dominic Hall, which is now the home of the President of Providence College. In addition to these images dating back to 1919, the display includes architectural drawings of a proposed 1934 Gothic-style library building that was never built.
 Central Library Free Film Noir Matinees!
Sundays, 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
November 15 - January 31
Central Library, 150 Empire Street
See ten classics of the genre throughout the dark, cold winter! All matinees will take place on Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. in the Library's Auditorium Theater. The Library is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information and the complete schedule.
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