3-stage construction timeline released in RISD Master Plan

Updated 2:16

Rhode Island School of Design's master plan, made public Thursday, sets out three stages of construction and renovation with expected completion dates of as soon as 2022 and 2035. / COURTESY RISD
RHODE ISLAND School of Design's master plan, made public Thursday, sets out three stages of construction and renovation with expected completion dates of 2022 and 2035. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN

PROVIDENCE – Transitioning parking lots to new facilities, renovation of existing buildings and unnamed new construction opportunities are at the heart of Rhode Island School of Design’s three-stage Master Plan, presented in detail at the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission meeting Thursday.

Infrastructure on College Street, North Main Street, Angell Street, Market Square Washington Place, Canal Street and South Water Street – all along or within walking distance of the Providence River – are included in the plan.

Marked in orange on an interactive map are five “Near Term” investments expected to be completed by 2022:

  • A targeted facility renovation of the 24,000-gross-square-foot 20 Washington Place.
  • Renovation of the existing 13,750-gross-square-foot Market House at 27 Market Square.
  • Renovation of the existing 79,000-square-foot facility, College Building, at 2 College St.
  • Renovation of the 69,000-gross-square-foot Metcalf Building (7 to 14 North Main St.) as well as the potential for an 11,000-gross-square-foot addition.
  • The 81,750-gross-square-foot student housing at 55 Angell St. will undergo a renovation while there are 75,000 gross square feet for a “new facility opportunity” within the same complex.

Three long-term projects, with expected completion dates in 2035, are listed in red on the interactive map:

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  • Up to 68,000 gross square feet for a “new facility opportunity” is listed at 199 Canal St., where a metropark and public lot are currently located, according to a RISD campus map.
  • A RISD, handicapped-accessible parking lot at 1 Washington Place has been listed as up to 48,000 gross square feet for a “new facility opportunity.”
  • A metro and public parking lot at 250 South Main St. has also been listed as a “new facility opportunity” of up to 100,000 gross square feet.

Additional investments, renovation or construction, which are not detailed in the plan or on the map, include the RISD Museum, Woods-Gerry gallery, What Cheer Studios, Waterman Building and the central power plant.

Renovations at the RISD Museum, in particular, have been ongoing for a decade, Annie Newman, RISD’s director of planning, design and construction, and have included mostly “life safety” upgrades in the wake of the 2003 Station nightclub fire.

A list of related completed projects can be found on the RISD website.

Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.

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