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| Upcoming
PPS Events
September 9
Mayoral Candidates Forum:
Preservation Matters
September 16
Ten Most Endangered Properties Photography Exhibit Opening
October 2
The Benefit on Benefit
December 4
Holiday Festival | 
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| | | Preservation & Advocacy
Mayoral Candidates Forum
Preservation Matters
Join PPS and the Providence Revolving Fund at a Mayoral Candidates Forum on Thursday, September 9 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at the Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street. Mark S. Murphy, Editor, Providence Business News, will moderate. Learn about the candidates' positions on preservation issues critical to Providence's economic vitality, sense of place, and quality of life.
To submit your preservation-related questions for the candidates in advance, or for further details, e-mail Kathleen Philp, PPS Preservation & Advocacy Coordinator, at kphilp@ppsri.org.
Ten Most Endangered Properties
Photography Exhibit Opening Reception
Thursday, September 16, 5:00 p.m.
Chabot Fine Art Gallery
379 Atwells Avenue
Providence, RI
 From September 9 - October 16, PPS will hold its Ten Most Endangered Properties photography exhibit at Chabot Fine Art Gallery, 379 Atwells Avenue. Join us for the Gallery Night opening reception on Thursday, September 16 from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
This exhibit is a unique way to present preservation advocacy through fine art. Since it was first presented in 1994, the exhibit has earned a reputation for showcasing striking photography by some of the most talented professional photographers in Rhode Island. This year's show will feature the work of Jan Armor, Michael Cevoli, Ryan Conaty, Andrew Dernavich, Stephanie Ewens, Adam Hall, Deborah Hickey, Brian McDonald, Frank Mullin, and Traer Scott.
Brownell & Field Company Update
 On August 23, representatives from the Providence Journal Company, which owns the Brownell & Field Company building (119 Harris Avenue), went before the Historic District Commission (HDC) to request permission to demolish the building. The HDC tabled the discussion, asking for clarification of estimates provided for the cost of stabilization and requiring the owner to look more seriously into alternatives to demolition, like selling the building. The HDC is scheduled to take up this issue again at its next meeting, in September.
Listed on PPS's 2010 Ten Most Endangered Properties List, the Brownell & Field Company building (1907-08) is one of the few remaining historic structures of its kind in the Smith Hill neighborhood. The Providence Journal Company purchased the building in the mid-1980s for its land value and has since used the building for storage, though it has remained mostly empty. If demolition approval is granted, there are no immediate plans for the site.
Grove Street Elementary School Update
 The Tarro family, owners of the Grove Street School in Providence's West End, have at last begun fulfilling the Providence Building Official's order to stabilize their deteriorating structure. Workers were recently spotted beginning clean-up around the property; as of Thursday, September 2, the grass had been mowed and some debris removed. However, the Tarros have indicated that they will not repair the roof - a major element in the stabilization process - leaving the city responsible for it.
In 2007, the Tarros initiated an illegal demolition of the facility, but Mayor David N. Cicilline and Federal Hill residents intervened to halt it. Since then, the City of Providence has remained admirably committed to preserving the school building throughout a lengthy legal process, during which the owners appealed every court battle that the city won.
In the three and a half years that the building has languished in limbo, it has been, and remains, vulnerable to damage from weather and to vandalism because of owner neglect. The West Broadway Neighborhood Association has issued a press release to publicize the plight of the property; click here to read the full text.
PPS in the News
The Providence Journal: "City ups the ante in debate over Weybosset Street façade".
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Upcoming and Notable
 THE BENEFIT ON BENEFIT Saturday, October 2, 2010 Enjoy cocktails, a dinner buffet, extraordinary music, and much more at this fabulous "Mad Men"-themed event. Space is limited to 125 lucky guests. Tickets will go on sale after Labor Day; check the PPS website for ticket and event information.
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, December 4
2010 Holiday Festival The beloved Holiday Festival will be held this year on Saturday, December 4. Stroll through beautiful historic houses, take in educational programming, and celebrate holiday cheer. Stay tuned for more details as they become available. |
Note from the Executive Director
 Dear Friends of Preservation,
I love Providence; it is a place where preservation is a "meat and potatoes" issue. Whether you live and work in the city, or come here to eat in one of our many great restaurants, enjoy Waterfire, or shop in one of the city's authentic retail districts, preservation is something we all experience everyday.
As if to prove this point, two issues came bubbling to the surface over the past several weeks. A proposal to demolish a moderne-style flower shop on Hope Street for a drive-through coffee shop, and a revived debate over the site of a failed development in the city's financial district had the phones ringing here at the PPS offices and my Facebook page sending me alerts every few minutes.
While there was no consensus among the callers or internet posters, what was so encouraging to me was that people have such strong feelings about both these sites. Neither location presents a simple solution. In both cases, developers have asked for special considerations - zoning changes and/or the removal of existing structures. Also in both cases, there is a strong feeling that the developers are not hearing the concerns of their neighbors, in one case because they bit off more than they could chew, and in the other because they presume to impose a one-size-fits-all solution better suited to a suburban strip-mall.
Providence became this unusual, lovely city one building at a time. We can lose what is good and authentic about this place in much the same way - one "compromise" at a time. I ask that you all advocate for the long view, and for sensitive, creative solutions that both of these sites deserve. We want to see investment in our city, but in ways that are appropriate and that feel (and look) right. This is the harder road, and the process will be longer, but I believe that saving the Providence that we know and love is better than gambling on a generic city which, in the end, we won't even recognize.
PPS is working with some creative minds at RISD and in city government, and with Downtown merchants and Hope Street neighbors, to come up with alternatives and help demonstrate ways in which the unique features of both these sites can be viewed as assets rather than impediments. Stay tuned!
James Hall
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Volunteer Opportunities
Join the PPS team as a volunteer this autumn! PPS is looking for volunteers to assist with general office/clerical tasks, including but not limited to answering a multi-line phone, greeting visitors, working on special projects, assisting with mailings. Experience with Microsoft Office programs a plus. Help needed Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Volunteers must be pleasant on the phone and able to handle multiple tasks at once. Please email your interest and availability to info@ppsri.org.
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Community Notes
Shepard Fairey Mural in Downtown Providence Completed
 Muralist Johan Bjurman has finished painting the AS220-commissioned mural designed by RISD alumnus Shepard Fairey on the north face of Trinity Repertory Company's Pell Chafee Auditorium (1929) in downtown Providence. The mural shows a distinctive striped tower of Atlantic Mills (1863), which is on this year's Ten Most Endangered Properties List, the Industrial Trust Company building (1928), and a small section of the Providence Biltmore Hotel (1922).
Local City & State Candidates Night
Tuesday, September 7, 5:30 p.m.
West Broadway Neighborhood Association
1560 Westminster Street, Providence
City council candidates from Wards 13 and 15 and State Representative candidates from Districts 9 and 14 have been invited. Meet and mingle with candidates from 5:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The program begins promptly at 6:00pm.
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