INTERVIEW
Jason ‘J.’ Hogue
Title: Founder of
ArtInRuins.com and owner of Highchair Designhaus in Pawtucket
Background: A native of North Smithfield, Jason Hogue returned to Rhode Island after college and was working as a graphic designer when, in 2001, developer Feldco announced it would tear down the historic Valley Worsted Mills at Eagle Square to build a new retail complex. The mill was home to the “Fort Thunder” artists’ community; as Hogue watched the artists fight, in vain, to save it, he decided to get involved. In February 2002, he co-founded ArtInRuins to chronicle the fate of historic buildings across Rhode Island and mobilize artists to save them. Separately, Hogue is now involved in the redevelopment of the former WT Grant department store in Pawtucket as a business incubator for arts- and design-related businesses.
Education: B.A. in graphic design, University of Hartford, 1999.
Residence: Providence
Age: 30
J. Hogue isn’t your typical historian. The 30-year-old is a graphic artist and owner of Highchair Designhaus, a firm that specializes in print and Web design, as well as illustration.
But Hogue is also co-founder of the Web site ArtInRuins.com, which chronicles the history and status of scores of Rhode Island’s most beloved and historic buildings – whether they are being redeveloped, are decaying or have been destroyed. Yet, in spite of his site’s growing popularity – in April, it had 1.5 million page hits – Hogue says he’s still a student, attempting to learn about old buildings and the lives lived within them. “I know that I don’t have all the answers,” he said. “I’m just starting to compile all of this stuff myself.”
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PBN: How did the Web site come about?
HOGUE: It came out of the Eagle Square protests in 2000. I had already taken pictures of the Silver Springs Bleaching and Dyeing [building] on Charles Street where the Home Depot is … as it was coming down. News came out about the whole Eagle Square fiasco, and I got a little bit involved with that. And after returning to Providence after being gone for a while – and coming back to Waterplace Park and a lot of things that were moved, changed or not there anymore – I just decided to start documenting things as much as possible.
PBN: What is the fascination with decaying buildings?
HOGUE: There’s a certain kind of romantic, artful aura about these places. … Places just have an energy; they have a history. A lot of it, you’re making up – you don’t know what really happened. But somebody left a coffee cup somewhere, or you can see a list of phone numbers on the wall. These little details that get left behind give a place like that a lot of personality.
PBN: How do you feel about the state’s historic tax credit program and the effort to redevelop a lot of these blighted properties?
HOGUE: Well, I’m happy to see a lot of them saved. I’d much rather have something in my “redeveloped” section [of the Web site] than in the “R.I.P.” section. But I’m not necessarily happy to see them all go the way of very expensive condos. It’s really a mixed bag. In the end, I’d rather see them saved – and historic tax credits, of course, help that to happen.
PBN: Are you concerned about gentrification in Providence?
HOGUE: There’s a lot of class warfare talk going on around Smith Hill and Olneyville. In those instances, I kind of feel that both sides are wrong, but both sides have good points as well. We’ve got reasons to fear about class warfare, but we also need the influx of service-sector jobs and maybe, eventually, more GTECHs coming to town.
PBN: Are there any projects or developers that you entirely disapprove of?
HOGUE: I’m still pretty vitriolic about … the 903, Paolino [Properties], Carpionato [Properties] and [The Procaccianti Group]. I don’t really like most of those guys. I really don’t like the Sierra Suites Hotel going in on Washington Street.
PBN: How about Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse?
HOGUE: I’ve tried to steer clear of very hot situations, like The Rising Sun [Mills], when that video broke [showing a leasing agent making comments about the neighborhood]. … I just had to step back. I saw what was happening to the R.I. Future Blog [www.rifuture.org/blog], and I saw the comments flying back and forth. Stuff like that doesn’t help anyone, really. It’s not constructive, so … I consciously steered clear. … In the end, I still think [Struever] is a far better developer than Carpionato, Procaccianti or Paolino. I’d much rather have them doing work in this town and not be such a target.
PBN: Are there any other developers doing work you like?
HOGUE: Len Lavoie, over here in Pawtucket, is doing a live-work space on Pine Street. … That’s interesting to me, because something of that scale is usually only something that Struever Bros. would touch. And this is his first live-work project that he’s directly overseeing. I’m interested to see how that goes, and I hope it goes well.
Bailey Lofts [in Pawtucket] is very interesting.
The Plant in Olneyville is also very interesting to me. I’m also on the board for that project. They’re doing pretty well, and I hoping that they’re able to get some positive attention down in Olneyville.
PBN: How will all these projects affect Providence and the surrounding communities?
HOGUE: I’m little worried that we may just become a suburb of Boston, but there is hopefully an opportunity to become more sustainable. We’re increasing our tax base and we’re increasing people who use city services ….
There are a lot of things on the horizon that I think are worth being interested in, because 10 years from now – just like 10 years ago – it’s going to be a completely different city.
