PPS awards Jewelry District project

PROVIDENCE – The Providence Preservation Society gave its “Rehabilitation Award” to ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge for its redesign of the 30,000-square-foot Rolo Jewelry Building in Providence.
The building, at 274 Pine St., is now Johnson & Wales University’s Student Services Center. JWU paid $12.5 million to renovate the two-story, brick building, which it bought in 1997. Built in 1921, it had been used as a jewelry manufacturing plant.
“With the transformation of the former Rolo Jewelry Building into the beautifully designed Student Services Center, we have fulfilled two of the university’s guiding principles: our commitment to urban revitalization and thoughtful historic renovation,” JWU President Irving Schneider said in a statement. “Creating a dynamic student-centered learning environment is at the core of our master plan for the campus. Now, at one location we can offer academic and financial services and provide assistance to our international and exchange students. ARC did a tremendous job of meeting our students’ needs while preserving the historic integrity of the building.”
In announcing the award, ARC quoted the PPS judges as saying, “This project truly demonstrates Johnson & Wales admirable commitment to the preservation of significant historic buildings in downtown Providence.”
JWU announced the project in 2007 and it was completed in 2008.
Architectural Resources Cambridge, founded in 1969, specializes in the design of educational, sports, corporate, science, biotechnology and R&D facilities. ARC’s academic clients include Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts. Additional information is available at www.arcusa.com.
Johnson & Wales University, founded in 1914, is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in food service, hospitality, education, business and technology. JWU has more than 16,000 students at its campuses in Providence, North Miami, Denver and Charlotte, N.C. Additional information is available at jwu.edu.
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.