Custom House Street building to be renovated into apartments, commercial space

PROVIDENCE – An historic office building on Custom House Street downtown will be renovated into rental apartments, with street-level commercial space, possibly a restaurant, according to an application filed with the city’s Downtown Design Review Committee.
The five-story brick structure, at 32 Custom House St., was built in 1875.
It last held law offices, but has had no tenants for several years, according to Christine West, the architect who prepared the conceptual design.
The building is now owned by New York-based HM Ventures Group 7 LLC, which includes three of the four partners who renovated the Dean Hotel, according to West, a principal of Kite Architects in Providence.
The group purchased the five-story building in November for $800,000, according to the city assessor’s office. The previous owner, Omni Capital Partners, had purchased the building for $650,000 in September 2009, according to city records.
The project would convert the street-level floor space to a commercial use, with 10 apartments on the upper floors. The apartments would be one- and two-bedroom units, but not micro-apartments, according to the plans.
The building is in a nationally registered historic district and falls under city zoning that allows residential use, according to Christopher Ise, principal planner for the city of Providence. The Downtown Design Review Committee is scheduled to begin its review of the project Monday.
The committee has authority to approve any exterior work, including alterations, on structures in the D1 district, Ise said.
West described the building as one of the oldest, unrestored structures in downtown Providence.
“It’s one of these hidden gems,” she said.
The building retains a bronze storefront and interior grillage from its time as a water front bank, according to the project description prepared by Kite Architects.

No posts to display