After a whirlwind reconstruction, Brown University researchers
began moving into the former Speidel Building at 70 Ship St. in Providence’s
Jewelry District last week.
Peter Holden, director of biomed facilities and support services, has been coordinating the move, which began on Aug. 16 after months of preparation. A dozen laboratories will move in on a staggered basis over the next three weeks and another six labs will move in before the end of the year. The relocating offices are coming from Brown’s biomedical complex and a number of leased properties. New hires will eventually fill the rest of the space.
“The move, just like the whole project, has gone very well given the scale and considering that we’ve gone from design to occupation in under 13 months,” Holden said.
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Norma Messier, a research assistant with Dr. Agnes B. Kane, works on research involving asbestos-induced lung cancer. On the third day of the move-in, she and a handful of other assistants and graduate students were unpacking stacks of crates. She said the lab should be operating again by September.
“I’ve spent over 20 years at Brown,” Messier said. “So to be taken away from Thayer Street was kind of a jolt. I’ve got to figure out where to grab a coffee or go to lunch. … We do have windows here though, and it’s a beautiful space.”
Originally built in 1912, the 105,000-square-foot, five-story building is
named for the Speidel Chain Co., an early tenant who manufactured gold watch
chains and expandable watch bracelets.
