FW: PPS January E-Newsletter

In This Issue Preservation Education Events Development Volunteer Opportunity Community Notes Quick Links Become a Member PPS Website Preservation Nation Upcoming PPS Events January 21 Annual Meeting February 6 Winter Bash June 5 31st Festival of Historic Houses Support our work! Support PPS by mailing us your Eastside Marketplace receipts! A percentage of each dollar goes to support PPS programs. To learn more, e-mail PPS. January 2010 News Annual Meeting & Preservation Lecture Thursday, January 21, 5:30 p.m. For more details, click here or see below. Preservation Most Endangered Properties 2009 Update: Providence National Bank Building Facade The Downcity Design Review committee was scheduled to continue its review of the Providence National Bank Building façade at a meeting on January 11. This meeting has been canceled. Look for an update regarding the February meeting in next month's e-news. The façade was included as an element of the "Downtown National Register District" listing on the 2009 Ten Most Endangered Properties List to highlight the fact that the overall quality of the Downtown National Register District is threatened by the lack of a formal public policy that respects preservation values. Most Endangered Properties 2009 Update: Grove Street School The Building Board of Review will continue its review of Grove Street School at a meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 7 at 3:00 p.m. at 190 Dyer Street. The Board requested the owners to present clarified cost estimates for the work required. The owners were scheduled to appear in December, but the meeting was postponed. For more information, call the Building Board of Review at (401) 421-7740. NEW National Register District: Blackstone Boulevard-Cole Avenue-Grotto Avenue The Blackstone Boulevard-Cole Avenue-Grotto Avenue area  was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. Reflecting Providence's twentieth-century development as the East Side area was transformed from farmland and open space into a residential neighborhood, the neighborhood is notable for its variety of revival architectural forms and styles that were popular during the period, as well as the transition to a more modern aesthetic. The Cole Farmhouse (pictured above), built in 1732, is part of this historic district, and is one of the few surviving pre-revolutionary houses, typifying the modest farmhouses built on the far reaches of the early English settlement in Providence. This small one-and-a- half-story house, recently bank-owned, has been sold. Our hopes are that a new owner will restore the property so that the house will survive as an vibrant reminder of Providence's rural past.   Preservation Watch List: Brownell & Field Company Building PPS is always on the lookout for historic properties that may be endangered. The Brownell & Field Company Building (1907-08) at 119 Harris Avenue is included in the Provisions Warehouse Historic District, determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Brownell & Field and two adjacent buildings, Standard Wholesale Liquors Co. (1937) at 115 Harris Avenue and Turner Centre System Building (1923-26) at 135 Harris Avenue are the only buildings remaining in that district.  Brownell & Field is also included in the city's Industrial & Commercial Buildings District (ICBD).   The property on which Brownell & Field stands was acquired by Field Land Company after 1906 and remained in its or its successor's (Autocrat) possession until the Providence Journal Company bought it in 1995.  This building is being carefully watched by PPS because of its deteriorated state and the uncertainty about its future use. Education Children's Heritage Education Tours Open for Booking Bookings are now being accepted for our Spring 2010 Children's Heritage Education Tours, which are led from Monday through Friday at 10:00 a.m., March 29 through June 11. The tours offered this spring are: ~ College Hill Tour, 1636-1775 - Roger Williams and the Settlement of Colonial Providence focuses on grade four. ~ Downtown Tour, c. 1800 - Present - The Rise of the West Side focuses on grades six through twelve.  ~ "Avi" Tour - Something Upstairs, 1800 - A Literary Journey to the Past focuses on grades five through seven.  ~ H.P. Lovecraft as Preservationist, 1920s Benefit Street focuses on grades ten through twelve.  ~ "Avi" Tour - The Man Who Was Poe, Mid-1800s Providence focuses on grades five through seven.  ~ The Crest of College Hill:  A Late 19th Century Victorian Journey focuses on the third grade.  Please spread the word at your children's and grandchildren's schools. Teachers may contact Education Coordinator Kathleen McAreavey at kmcareavey@ppsri.org or (401) 831-7440, ext. 103.   Wheeler School Tour on Slavery Last fall, under the tutelage of Wheeler School teacher Becca Hunsicker, 7th grade students completed a unit about the slave trade in Rhode Island and in Providence, in particular. During the course of the unit, students discussed the triangle trade, looked at primary source documents, and read about the Brown family as well as other ships' captains. In addition, they researched sites connected to the trade that are within walking distance of their school. These include Brown's University Hall, the John Brown House, and the Old State House. They also viewed primary source documents at the RI Historical Society Library. On Tuesday, November 24, the students participated on a day-long walking tour of these sites. Thanks to the help of longtime PPS docent Mr. Ed Hooks the students learned all about the Old State House, its history of place and its significance to the slave trade in Rhode Island, due in large part to the laws passed within the building. It was a thought-provoking day and PPS is pleased to have participated 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. Upcoming Events Annual Meeting & Preservation Lecture Thursday, January 21, 5:30 p.m. The Providence Preservation Society will host its 52nd Annual Meeting and Preservation Lecture on January 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Beneficent Congregational Church, 300 Weybosset Street, in downtown Providence. The event is free and open to the public. William Morgan, architectural historian and author, will present the lecture. Mr. Morgan has a Ph.D in Art History from the University of Delaware, a certificate in architecture and an M.A. in history from Columbia University, and an undergraduate degree in history from Dartmouth College. He is a teacher and widely published author of books, articles, and reviews with architectural themes. He is also an occasional contributor to the Providence Journal.  PPS Winter Bash Saturday, February 6, 8:00 p.m. Join PPS at its seventh Winter Bash at 100 Westminster Street overlooking Burnside Park and Capital Center in Downtown Providence on Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 8 p.m. The Bash will bring together over 600 people from across the region. Featuring fabulous entertainment, specialty drinks, and a full cash bar, this is the event everyone will be talking about through the year! This year's theme is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Plan to dance the night away with Santa Mamba as we transform this empty space into a magical evening not to be missed. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here. Development Thank You, and Membership in the New Year Many thanks to those of you who included the PPS Annual Fund in your year-end giving. The board and staff deeply appreciate your support and ongoing commitment to the mission of protecting and enhancing the built environment in our capital city.    We often hear questions from members about their membership status. PPS memberships renew on a rolling schedule annually, so the month in which your membership expires is the month in which you joined. Renewal notices are mailed before expiration. A large percentage of our members join in December and January, so if you are among this group, now is a good time to be sure your membership is current. If you are unsure of your membership status, Lauren Goldenberg or John Rogers in the PPS office will be happy to confirm.     We hope to see you at our events throughout 2010. Volunteer Opportunity PPS is seeking volunteers to help out at our Winter Bash, coming up on Saturday, February 6 at 100 Westminster Street in downtown Providence. The always-popular event runs from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 midnight. The attire is casual cocktail. For more information, click here. Community Notes Central Library Offers Free Sunday Programming Film Noir Matinees Sundays, 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. until 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. Family Learning Sundays Second Sunday of every month, January - May at 2:00 p.m. Providence Public Library presents its 2010 Family Learning Sundays series, beginning January 10. Bring your family to enjoy varied opportunities to seek new knowledge - together - at the Library. For information, call (401) 455-8025 or visit www.provlib.org. The mission of the Providence Preservation Society (PPS) is to improve the quality of life in the city of Providence through historic preservation and the enhancement of the built environment. PPS is a nonprofit membership organization, exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is recognized as a charitable organization.