The Providence Preservation Society last week announced its 2008 Most Endangered Properties List, which this year includes a Smith Hill theater, an East Side carriage house and a structure that some might not even consider a building, PPS interim Executive Director Vicki Veh said.
Some would say that the Fieldstone Trolley Shelter on Blackstone Boulevard is barely a building, “but it is a very important aspect of the built environment, which is what we’re all about, it’s our mission,” she said.
The list was first released during 1994 and “is not meant to be a finger-pointing exercise, but rather a highlighting exercise to bring attention to these properties and ideally to help the owners find ways to restore them,” Veh said.
The complete 2008 list is:
• Angell Street Streetscape between Thayer and Brown streets – 127 and 129 Angell St.
Dating from between 1845 and 1884, “these three historic buildings are in imminent danger because Brown University has plans to build the new Mind, Brain and Behavior building on the site in spring 2009,” according to PPS.
• Castle Theater – 1039 Chalkstone Ave.
Closed indefinitely in April 2004, the 83-year-old building is threatened by deterioration.
• Cathedral of St. John – 271 North Main St.
The stone cathedral was built in 1810. Now, deterioration is taking hold of it, PPS said, and “few steps have been taken toward correcting the serious problems occasioned by deferred maintenance and hitherto unrecognized design flaws” caused by expansions.
• Teste Building – 88 Dorrance St.
The Teste Building, built in 1860, is part of the Downtown National Historic Register District. That district has been “compromised” by several factors, including “insensitive” public policy, according to PPS. The Teste building “has been vacant for four years and could be legally demolished, without review, within one year,” Veh said.
• Fieldstone Trolley Shelter – 585 Blackstone Blvd.
Built during 1904 to aid travelers along the new trolley line to Swan Point Cemetery, it is threatened by vandalism and neglect, according to PPS.
• Grove Street Elementary School – 95 Grove St.
Built in 1901, the school has now been listed four times. Demolition began in February and was halted by the city for lack of demolition permitting, Veh said.
• Earl P. Mason Carriage House – 296 Benefit St.
The Rhode Island School of Design had owned the 151-year-old brick-and-brownstone building before selling it during 2005 to a private owner. That owner has “since installed vinyl replacement windows in the Mason House, unapproved by the Providence Historic District Commission, causing concern that any future changes to the Carriage House may be inappropriate,” PPS said.
• Asa Messer Elementary School – 158 Messer St.
The school is threatened by “poor public policy,” because it was slated for demolition by the facilities master plan released during December 2006.
• Former R.I. Department of Transportation Headquarters and Garage – 30 Arline St.
There are “reportedly plans to restore the building to garage [owner] Quality Beef’s fleet of trucks, but the building remains in disrepair and is being underutilized as a warehouse,” PPS said.
• Captain Joseph Tillinghast House – 403 South Main St.
Built circa 1770, the house has been neglected and the front façade has started to buckle. •
