PROVIDENCE – Five communities will share $42,085 in historic preservation grants, the R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission announced this week.
“The work carried out by municipal historical preservation programs is very important to our statewide preservation efforts,” said Ted Sanderson, the commission’s executive director. “These grant awards are an acknowledgement of the commitment which these communities have made to protect their historic resources.”
Communities receiving grants are:
North Smithfield, $10,000 to complete a digital mapping study of sites associated with the European settlement of Providence County during colonization that took place between 1636 and 1730. The town plans to compile information from R.I. Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission records.
Cranston, $9,000 to produce a National Register nomination for the Abby Thornton Estate Historic District, a 90-house plat on Shaw and Marion avenues that the commission says “exemplifies the growth of in Edgewood as one of the earliest commuter suburbs in metropolitan Providence.”
New Shoreham, $8,000 to produce a history of homebuilding on Block Island. The commission said the history would simplify nominating individual homes to the National Register of Historic Places.
North Kingstown, $5,085 to host a statewide training session for historic district commissioners unable to attend previous sessions developed by Grow Smart Rhode Island.
Providence, $10,000 for the Providence Revolving Fund to manage development of architectural and engineering plans to complete emergency repairs to the roof and tower of the “Wedding Cake House” at 514 Broadway. Community Works Rhode Island plans to convert the former mansion and dressmaking shop to affordable housing.
The commission also set aside $10,000 for its 2012 Rhode Island Statewide Historic Preservation Conference. The 2011 conference is slated for April 30 on Block Island.
Administrated by the commission, the grants come from the U.S. Department of the Interior and its National Park Service.
