PROVIDENCE – Neighbors and political leaders who represent parts of the East Side are opposed to the construction of two residence halls for Brown University, saying the design is not appropriate.
In addition, they say the proposed demolition of three homes to make room for the development will remove historically significant structures from the College Hill neighborhood.
The university is seeking approval for two five-story buildings on the east and west sides of Brook Street, between Power and Charlesfield streets.
The three houses that would be demolished are historically significant, according to the Providence Preservation Society, which opposes the demolition. The structures lease space to businesses, including Bagel Gourmet.
In a letter sent this week to Brown President Christina H. Paxson, the organization and other advocates ask her to reserve commercial space in the residence hall design for local businesses and city tax revenue and to make the buildings compatible with the scale of the historic College Hill neighborhood.
Providence City Councilman John Goncalves, who represents the neighborhood, is circulating a petition among residents that asks Brown to reduce the size of the buildings to four stories, to be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. The petition includes changes recommended by Goncalves, as well as the Fox Point and College Hill neighborhood associations.
The petition asks the university to reuse or move the three houses.
“The two historic homes at 66-68 and 70-72 Charlesfield should be preserved and reused,” the petition states. “The property at 245 Brook should be moved to the vacant lot at 126 Power St., which would be make strides in preserving the streetscape. These actions would knit the residence halls more gracefully into our historically significant neighborhood.”
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
