Procaccianti Group moving forward with plans to replace Fogarty Building with hotel

BUILT IN 1968, the John E. Fogarty Memorial Building on Fountain Street downtown will be replaced with a nine-story, extended-stay hotel, according to the Procaccianti Group. / PBN PHOTO/MARY MCDONALD
BUILT IN 1968, the John E. Fogarty Memorial Building on Fountain Street downtown will be replaced with a nine-story, extended-stay hotel, according to the Procaccianti Group. / PBN PHOTO/MARY MCDONALD

PROVIDENCE – The Procaccianti Group moved forward Friday on plans to replace the vacant Fogarty Building on Fountain Street downtown with a nine-story, extended-stay hotel.
The Cranston-based development company filed an application Friday with the city’s Downtown Design Review Committee for a required review of its architectural design, as well as for permission to demolish the existing structure, a three-story concrete building built in 1968.
The $40 million project would replace the Fogarty building with a Marriott Residence Inn.
The City Council on Thursday granted final approval to a request by the Procaccianti Group for a 12-year tax stabilization agreement to facilitate the project.
The ordinance creating the TSA now moves to Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s desk, but he has already said he supports the project. The TSA would involve a three-year introductory phase with no property taxes, followed by a nine-year phase-in of taxes based on the improved value of the site.
In a statement, Elorza said he welcomed the new investment in downtown Providence.
“This project creates jobs, revitalizes a blighted portion of our downtown and helps spur economic growth,” Elorza said. “As one of the largest development projects this city has seen in years, moving this project forward was important to me. It will be a great project for the city of Providence.”
The request to demolish the John E. Fogarty Memorial Building, at 111 Fountain St., is expected to be heard in January by the Downtown Design Review Committee. The structure of reinforced concrete was built in 1968 to house the state’s then-called welfare department. It has been vacant for a decade.
The Procaccianti Group will replace the structure with an upscale, 168-room extended stay hotel, to be run as a Residence Inn by Marriott. The architect is Group One Partners Inc. of Boston, which is known for its work in urban design, according to Michael Voccola, corporate vice-president of the Procaccianti Group.
Under city requirements, the developer must have design approval and a building permit before a demolition permit is issued.
The company plans to demolish the Fogarty building using specialty equipment that can remove the reinforced concrete in sections, Voccola said. The demolition process is expected to take three months.

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