More than two decades in gestation, the Heritage Harbor Museum to celebrate Rhode Island’s seafaring culture is hoping that a new hotel-office space complex will act as midwife.
Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse Inc. has broken ground on the Dynamo House project at the site of the former Narragansett Electric Co. power plant. The $150 million project is to include the museum, an Aloft hotel, as well as office space and a restaurant.
But that is not the end of the story. Scaled back to a quarter of the size originally proposed for the museum, the Heritage Harbor Corporation still has to raise an additional $22.4 million to complete the now 55,000-square-foot museum.
The hope is that the museum can open after $5.9 million is raised in Phase I, creating the energy and excitement to generate the additional $16.5 million that is needed. We wish them well and hope they are right. The new Providence waterfront, being created by the removal of Interstate 195, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A museum that captures Rhode Island’s unique character is a fitting addition to that vision. •