PROVIDENCE – Two historic theaters, an East Side apartment building and the interior of the to-be-renovated Arcade are among the 10 listings on the Providence Preservation Society’s 2009 Most Endangered Properties survey.
At a press conference this afternoon at PPS’s East Side headquarters, PPS President Oliver H.L. Bennett announced the 10 properties and one National Register District that make up the 10 listings. Of this year’s listed properties, six also had made the 2008 list.
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The What Cheer Mutual Fire Insurance Co. building – vacated last year by the United Way of Rhode Island – also has been listed as being under threat of demolition.
The complete 2009 list is:
• The Arcade Interior – 130 Westminster St. and 65 Weybosset St.
• The Atlantic Mills Towers – 100 Manton Ave.
• Bomes Theatre and Castle Theater – 1017 Broad St. and 1039 Chalkstone Ave.
• General Ambrose Burnside House – 314 Benefit St.
• Cathedral of St. John and Diocesan Properties – 271 North Main St.
• Downtown National Register District – 110 Westminster St. and the Teste Block, 50 Weybosset St. and 88 Dorrance St.
• Grove Street Elementary School – 95 Grove St.
• Former R.I. Department of Transportation headquarters and garage – 30 Arline St.
• Captain Joseph Tillinghast House – 403 South Main St.
• What Cheer Fire Insurance Co. Building – 229 Waterman St.
The annual list, modeled after the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places, started in Providence in 1994. It was suspended in 2005 and 2006 during the planning process for PPS’s 50th anniversary events.
Granoff Associates LLC, which owns the 181-year-old Arcade, last May announced an $8 million renovation intended to create a more “green” building and attract a single tenant.
In pegging the Arcade’s interior as an endangered gem, PPS said the building’s “impressive architecture and deep roots in both Providence’s and America’s history contribute to concern surrounding the building’s proposed reconfiguration.”
PPS officials took note of the developer’s intention to “ensure both the architectural preservation and the long-term economic viability of this treasure.” But “should the Arcade be reconfigured for a single tenant, the integrity of the interior space, especially the public corridor, will be severely jeopardized,” PPS said.
Granoff principal Evan Granoff did not return a message seeking comment today. In introducing the renovation, however, Granoff said, “It hasn’t made money now for 20 years. Well, it might never have made money. It’s just reached the point where, if you walk through there, it’s sorely in need of renovation.”
Last year, Providence Business News dug through PPS records and found that it was difficult to gauge how successful the annual lists were overall, although they were effective in focusing preservation resources.
The Providence Preservation Society, a local nonprofit founded in 1956, is “dedicated to the improvement of the quality of life in the city of Providence through historic preservation and the enhancement of the built environment.” Additional information is available at PPSRI.org.
