FW: Tour the Town! Celebrate with PPS at the 2009 Downtown Holiday Festival-December 5

2009 PPS Downtown Holiday Festival December 5, 2009 Tour the Town! Celebrate the Holidays with the Providence Preservation Society Downtown Holiday Festival Visit some of the most distinctive and extraordinary residential and commercial spaces in Downtown Providence, many not open to the public except during this tour. Combining contemporary design with historic architecture, these interiors showcase the adaptability and remarkable vitality of Downtown buildings. This self-guided tour is sure to dazzle and inspire! Highlights of the day-long Festival include horse-drawn carriage rides, a special tree lighting ceremony, holiday bell ringers and carolers, and seasonal pleasures. Tour sites will be open to ticket holders 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tickets for the tour are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. The Registration Center (where you pick up your guidebook which serves as the ticket) is at the Peerless Building Atrium at 150 Union Street. Click here for directions. Ticket holders will also be admitted to the following lectures and tours by showing their guidebooks : Clark Schoettle, Executive Director of the Providence Revolving Fund, will present an overview of recent historic preservation projects in Downtown Providence. Through his compelling "before and after" photographs and in-depth knowledge of individual buildings, he will highlight the dramatic transformations taking place in the historic core, many stimulated by the State Historic Tax Credit program and the Downcity Fund.   Tripp Evans, Associate Professor of Art History at Wheaton College, will present a lecture on "Federal, Unreserved: Union Trust and the Vertical 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, Professor Evans will explore its significance as a marker of the city's unique banking and design history. PPS Guided Tours of Downtown: Let a professionally trained guide lead you on a vibrant walking tour that highlights the rich history and architecture of Downtown! After touring, join Mayor David Cicilline for his traditional tree lighting at 6:00 p.m. in front of City Hall. A parade leading up to City Hall starts at 5:45 p.m. on Westminster Street in front of the Arcade. Following the tree lighting, continue to enjoy downtown in the evening with PPS at the After-Tour Celebration sponsored by Lite Rock 105 and featuring Tiny Tavares from the Grammy-winning band, Tavares, famed for "Heaven Must be Missing an Angel" and "More than a Woman." Attendees will savor hors d'oeuvres and cocktails while listening to holiday music provided by Sweet 78. The After-Tour Celebration will take place at the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Providence, 58 Weybosset Street, Providence , RI 02903. The Celebration in this recently renovated historic building will start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75.00 TICKETS For more information or to purchase tickets, visit our website, call PPS offices at 831-7440, or visit one of the following off-site ticket locations: Adler's Hardware Design Within Reach Dugan Custom Jewelers Eastside Marketplace Holiday Festival Sponsors are Event Sponsor Berkeley Investments, Inc. Supporting Sponsors Cornish Associates Partridge Snow & Hahn, LLP Providence Foundation Providence Revolving Fund The Washington Trust Company Media Sponsors Lite Rock 105 WPRI This event is funded in part by the Providence Tourism Council.