Providence Preservation Society

Providence Preservation Society We support and advocate for historic preservation, thoughtful design, and people-centered planning.

Big changes are on the horizon for the oldest city cemetery in Providence. The City’s Parks Department, which oversees t...
06/04/2026

Big changes are on the horizon for the oldest city cemetery in Providence. The City’s Parks Department, which oversees the maintenance of North Burial Ground (NBG) in Mount Hope, recently hired landscape architecture firm Towers and Golde to help develop a master plan for the cemetery. On June 1, they hosted a community visioning session to gather input from Providence residents who frequent the grounds.

North Burial Ground is currently slated for $1.25 million of infrastructure improvements, according to the city’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget for fiscal years 2027-2031. There are roughly six miles of paved roads within NBG’s campus, and most of these roads are in serious disrepair. Additionally, given that the cemetery was established in 1700, many of those roads were not designed for car traffic. Frequent drainage issues have inspired the Parks Department to look beyond simply repaving.

“For us as first-time visitors, it was a little confusing, right? You come in — where’s the main office? Here it is on the right, but where do you park? Things aren’t really labeled,” Andjelic said. “The pitting conditions, I’m sure you all know, slow the traffic down. I’ve heard of people losing wheels sometimes in some of the potholes that have evolved, especially in areas of poor drainage.”

Read the full story: https://ppsri.org/new-master-plan-for-north-burial-ground-to-address-circulation-randall-park-and-more/

Lester J. Millman was one of a handful of modernist architects active in Providence in the mid-20th century. With fellow...
06/04/2026

Lester J. Millman was one of a handful of modernist architects active in Providence in the mid-20th century. With fellow architect Philemon Sturges, Millman co-founded the design firm Millman & Sturges, which handled various prominent modernist projects within the city.

But apart from Millman’s design career, he had a brief stint as a politician, challenging incumbent mayor and Democrat Joseph Doorley in the 1970 election.

Throughout his campaign, Millman tried to leverage his experience as an architect to bolster his government and business credentials. His tagline, “Let’s rebuild Providence together,” was plastered across billboards throughout the city (mostly paid for by Millman himself, who had poured at least $15,000 into his campaign’s bank account).

Read the full story here: https://ppsri.org/the-modernist-architect-who-ran-for-mayor/

Happy ! The Augustus Preston and Edward Brown House stands out among the other grand houses around Dexter Park for its ...
06/03/2026

Happy ! The Augustus Preston and Edward Brown House stands out among the other grand houses around Dexter Park for its elaborate Queen Anne porch and colorful pediment carved with various kinds of fruit. The house was built as a two-family residence back in 1889, and has seen a variety of residents walk through its two front doors — from a clergyman to an ice cream deliveryman.

Today, it has been converted into three condos. Graham and Michael recently bought one of the condos, but they have lived in the area around the park for a few years. Graham mentioned that all of the condo owners are first-time homebuyers, and posed with some of them (and one of their dogs, Ralphie!) to celebrate getting their marker.

Read the full house history here: https://guide.ppsri.org/property/augustus-h-preston-and-edward-h-brown-house

Join us this Saturday, May 23 from 9am to 3pm for a 9-mile hike across Providence! Inspired by the San Francisco Crossto...
05/21/2026

Join us this Saturday, May 23 from 9am to 3pm for a 9-mile hike across Providence! Inspired by the San Francisco Crosstown Trail, this walking route traverses both quiet neighborhoods and a variety of parks across the city of Providence. Cross the city by foot for a whole new perspective on PVD!

More information about the route and link to register: https://ppsri.org/events/walk-the-pvd-crosstown-trail-a-13-mile-urban-hike-2/

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Bonnie Nickerson and Neal Pandozzi to our Board of Trustees!Bonnie is the...
05/18/2026

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Bonnie Nickerson and Neal Pandozzi to our Board of Trustees!

Bonnie is the Director of Planning for the Northeast at Toole Design, a planning, engineering and landscape architecture firm. Prior to joining Toole, she served as the Director of Providence’s City Planning Department. She lives in the South Elmwood neighborhood with her family.

Neal is a public finance attorney who practices at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP in the Public Finance Group in the firm’s Providence and Boston offices. A lifelong Rhode Islander, Neal is a graduate of Moses Brown School, Providence College, and Roger Williams University School of Law.

The area near the hospitals in Upper South Providence is primed for change and development. With over 50 acres of surfac...
04/21/2026

The area near the hospitals in Upper South Providence is primed for change and development. With over 50 acres of surface parking lots, residents, city leaders, and planners alike hope that this land can come into a more beneficial use.

The first step toward change in the area is consolidating or eliminating some of this parking. Today, two parking structures are in the works near Brown University Health.

Residents are broadly supportive of parking garages to reduce the sprawl of surface lots — but some worry about the proximity of one of the parking garages to the Resistance Houses, preserving affordability in the neighborhood, and whether community voices will be valued in the process of building the structures and pending redevelopment more broadly.

The neighborhood became a sea of parking lots over several decades due to compounding effects of urban renewal, hospital expansion and demolition, and vacancy.

A community meeting and Q&A with Mayor Brett Smiley with a focus on this subject will take place on May 26 at 5 pm at 500 Broad Street.

After neighbors learned that Brown University is considering the demolition of four homes on Brook Street for a new econ...
04/20/2026

After neighbors learned that Brown University is considering the demolition of four homes on Brook Street for a new economics department building, they mounted organizing efforts to block the project. Residents have created a new Instagram account focused on saving the homes, and a petition from Ward 1 Councilor John Goncalves has garnered over 100 signatures since April 10.

Those against the demolitions say they’re concerned about a large-scale academic building disrupting the historic fabric of the neighborhood.

University spokesman Brian Clark emphasized in a statement that as the owner of more than 130 historic buildings, Brown is a “a leader in Rhode Island in historic preservation.” He said that the school has spent more than $42 million in recent years to renovate and maintain such properties. At the same time, Brown has also been responsible for the demolition of many historic homes through the decades. Based on plat maps and city directories, the university has demolished an estimated 150 buildings on College Hill since 1945.

Read more: https://ppsri.org/organizing-around-brook-street-homes-emerges-as-brown-looks-to-build-economics-department/

This legislative session is a busy one for everyone with an eye on housing in Rhode Island. A few weeks ago, the House C...
04/13/2026

This legislative session is a busy one for everyone with an eye on housing in Rhode Island. A few weeks ago, the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing heard testimony about an update to Rhode Island’s so-called 8 Law and new single-staircase legislation. At the meeting on March 31, nearly two dozen additional bills were up for the committee’s consideration; ultimately, all of the bills were held for further study.

The meeting began with some Providence-specific legislation, including hearings on the potential $25 million Providence housing bond (House Bill 7491) and the establishment of a Crook Point Bridge Authority (House Bill 7218). Mayor Brett Smiley was present to testify in favor of both.

Also up for the Committee’s consideration was a trilogy of three housing incentive bills; Representative June Speakman (District 68, Bristol/Warren) is the lead sponsor on all of them. They each seek to “activate empty or underutilized space” for the development of affordable housing, Speakman explained.

Get the details: https://ppsri.org/rep-speakmans-trilogy-of-housing-incentive-bills-co-living-faith-based-affordable-housing-reuse-incentives/

Back in August of 2025, Brown University called a neighborhood meeting for nearby residents of Brook and Benevolent stre...
04/13/2026

Back in August of 2025, Brown University called a neighborhood meeting for nearby residents of Brook and Benevolent streets to inform them of plans to sell four homes — 277, 281-283, 287, and 291 Brook Street.

So it surprised abutters Erika and Tom Lamb when representatives of the university convened another meeting last week to show conceptual drawings of a new 50,000-square-foot economics building to go in the place of the homes.

Concerns about the project from residents include the neighborhood feel, sustainability issues associated with demolition, and the desire to maintain residential use on this particular block.

Read more: https://ppsri.org/brown-looks-to-demolish-four-brook-street-homes-for-new-economics-building/

Advocacy notice: The Providence Preservation Society will publish a statement on Brown’s proposed demolition of the four Brook Street houses next week in the form of an open letter to Brown’s administration, and there will be an opportunity to co-sign.

About 30 South Providence residents gathered in SWAP’s community room on Broad Street for a Q&A with Mayor Brett Smiley ...
04/02/2026

About 30 South Providence residents gathered in SWAP’s community room on Broad Street for a Q&A with Mayor Brett Smiley the evening of March 24. Residents asked about housing, traffic, redevelopment, and small businesses, among other topics.

The community meeting was organized by the Jacqueline Clements Park (JCP) Collective, a resident-led volunteer organization that centers around engagement on the South Side.

Yaimani Rivera moderated the discussion, pulling both from pre-submitted questions and calling on audience members to give the mayor feedback and ask questions.

Read the full story: https://ppsri.org/south-providence-residents-push-mayor-smiley-on-housing-parking-hospital-district/

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24 Meeting Street
Providence, RI
02903

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