It looks out of place: a medieval-style castle of pale-yellow brick, towering over the modest houses and storefronts in Providence’s West End neighborhood.
One of the city’s largest venues, the monumental Cranston Street Armory has been vacant for years. But the campaign to inject new life into the 112-year-old building is reaching a milestone.
The state, which owns the property, is preparing to issue a request for proposals. It is looking to retain control of the property and lease it to a contractor to operate for a specified purpose.
There’s been much discussion about potential uses. Local organizations and residents have proposed various concepts, such as a performing arts center, a venue for sporting events, a community center and a retail complex, among other ideas.
“We are open to all possibilities for the armory and do not want to place restrictions on creativity,” said Brenna McCabe, spokeswoman for the R.I. Department of Administration.
“This is a unique building, which is treasured by the community,” McCabe said. “We are hopeful we will receive some exciting proposals.”
Currently, the state does not have a timeline for reopening the armory. It expects to issue the RFP in late fall.
“Right now, we’re focused on the RFP process,” McCabe explained. “Without a proposal, we cannot make that determination [when the building will reopen]. We must take this one step at a time.”
The state plans to host two more community meetings this fall to update the public on the process and review highlights of a draft RFP.
When asked what the state has in mind, McCabe said: “The state would continue to maintain the building. There will also need to be some capital investment and continued maintenance from the state to address a lot of the deferred maintenance.
“While the state would prefer to contract with a single entity, it will reserve the right to approve selection of multiple respondents through the RFP,” she said.
The armory was originally built in 1907 for the Rhode Island National Guard, which occupied it until 1996. The nearly 200,000-square-foot structure is the largest of Rhode Island’s armories and one of the largest in the nation.
The site has a lot of history. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and among Rhode Island State-Owned Historic Properties.
The armory is next to the Dexter Training Ground, which was willed to the city in 1824 for use as a military training ground. The grounds served as a base for military training in the Civil War, including for the 14th Regiment Rhode Island, the first black heavy artillery regiment in the United States. Today, the grounds are operated as a park by the city.
In addition to military installations, the armory has hosted other uses and events, including gubernatorial and mayoral inaugurations, track meets, car shows, home shows, galas, movie shoots, and even a New England Patriots practice.
However, the building has been mostly closed to the public since 1981. The first floor was most recently home to the R.I. Division of State Fire Marshal’s office. The upper floors remained unoccupied.
Currently, the entire building is vacant, though the basement and drill hall have been used for storage by multiple state agencies.
Designed by William R. Walker & Son, architectural ornamentation on the building’s exterior includes copper crenellation, terra cotta bracket and belt courses, and carved granite detailing.
Each decorative feature was designed to convey the image of a castle or fortress-type structure. The interior has a vast 80-foot-high drill hall with four-story stair halls in each tower, with decorative woodwork throughout the building.
A steering committee was convened in 2016 to guide the state in determining how to best put the building to use.
Among those on the steering committee is Oscar Mejias, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the owner of the Emerging Studies Institute in Providence.
The reopening of the armory, Mejias said, likely will have a significant impact on the surrounding community.
“There’s a lot of Latino businesses around that area” that are following the project, he explained.
Another new member of the steering committee is Dana Heng, who lives in the city’s West End and works there at New Urban Arts, a nonprofit that teaches the arts to high schoolers.
“It would be a waste for it to just sit around,” Heng said about the armory. “It is just so massive.
“Using it for the arts would be awesome,” she said, adding she hopes it is accessible to residents.
Scott Blake is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Blake@PBN.com.