PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce officials on Friday formally cut the ribbon on the Chamber’s new headquarters at the historic James A. Potter House at 359 Broad St. on the city’s west end.
The Chamber
acquired the property – a three-story building totaling 7,699 square feet – back in December 2024 for $850,000, with financing being provided by The Washington Trust Co. The 1889-era Queen Anne-style mansion was designed by the renowned Providence architecture firm Stone, Carpenter & Willson.
The Chamber has now officially relocated its home office to the west end after being in the city’s Olneyville section since the Chamber – which now has 1,100 members and supports the state’s Hispanic and Latino business community – launched in 2016. Chamber officials say the property will also be used as a mixed-use space for area business support.
Along with the Chamber occupying the first floor, the James A. Potter House’s second floor will be a co-working space for up to 14 small businesses. Rent for those spaces will be determined by hourly use, the Chamber said. It is anticipated the building’s third floor will be leased to a financial services company for use as a residential and commercial loan center.
Chamber CEO Oscar Mejias said Friday in a statement the new headquarters is not just a building, but also it represents a “visible presence of the sustained and steady growth” of the state’s Latino and Hispanic business community.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.