Organizers of the grassroots effort to elevate Providence’s west side into a thriving arts community say they are beginning to see tangible evidence that their vision could come to fruition.
Attempts to revitalize the west side – specifically the Promenade/Valley and Olneyville neighborhoods, have been going on in pockets for about 10 years. In the process small, local developers say they have pumped millions of dollars into the economy buying and renovating derelict properties and providing construction and maintenance jobs in tough economic times.
They all had the same mission – restoring historic buildings, creative reuse of materials and building a neighborhood that welcomes the young artists who now graduate from the city’s colleges, only to move on to a different city with more affordable studio space.
The latest complete project is Club Fête, a live music venue for national and local groups scheduled to open Oct. 7 on Dike Street in Olneyville. The opening brings to fruition the work of artist Nick Bauta and partner Donald King to provide a performing arts outlet for the community.
“We are working to turn Olneyville around and build something great,” Bauta said. “We’ve got a mission to develop and support the arts.”
Bauta, who also co-founded The Steel Yard nearby, bought the former ice cream factory on Dike Street that was later turned into a metal shop for $535,000 in 2008. He has worked on gutting it and redeveloping it using materials salvaged from buildings being torn down. He describes the breathtaking décor as old French tavern meets Steampunk (a combination of old retro-futuristic and neo-Victorian).
The total project cost about $3.7 million, funded mostly by loans. His club also employs 65 new workers, not including the many local construction and maintenance workers he has hired over the years.
Providence’s newly appointed economic development director, James S. Bennett, said he’s heard rumblings about the development going on in that area and he’s excited to see the work. He plans to visit Fête and Eagle Street’s former Eastern Butcher Block Corp. mill, which also is being renovated to serve as a hub for emerging arts activity.
“That’s what I’m all about,” Bennett said of the economic development. “That’s why the mayor put me in office, so we can get these projects moving along faster.”
Not too far from Fête is John Jensen’s Versailles Building, an extension of the old Eagle Mill. Most of the building’s studios are already rented and work is being done to complete others.
Jensen has noticed the changes in the area, which he says started slowly, and were delayed at times by such things as stricter fire codes and the elimination of tax credit programs.
“Just in the last six months to a year things have been moving ahead,” Jensen said.
Two nearby buildings were bought by developers who plan on offering the same mixed living/working space. Developer Kevin Ryan says as soon as he gets financing of about $500,000, it will take six months to finish the project.
Like a puppy awaiting the return of its master, 67-year-old Vincent LaFazia has waited decades for his beloved Valley area to bounce back to the vibrant arts community he remembers.
Growing up, he recalls when children could come to the area and get lessons, and artists made and sold their goods. Businesses came in and forced most of the local artists out, only to abandon the mills themselves later, he said.
“I’ve had a vision for a long time,” LaFazia said. “I’m more excited now than I ever have been.”
LaFazia, a woodworker, is set up to rent out Studio #4 in the Eastern Butcher Block mill when the renovations are completed by the end of the year.
The mill’s developers, Rachel Rafaelian and Erik Bright, are donating the space to LaFazia for now in exchange for his help in restoring the mill. He makes furniture there and will do the same when the mill is complete. He also will teach classes for people who want to learn his trade.
Bright recently donated space in a studio to Garage of Evil, an organization that teaches people across the country how to do large-scale, automated Halloween displays.
Chief Imagination Officer Lori Castor and Chief Cook & Bottle Washer Steve O’Conner, as they call themselves, are building a Halloween display for Dave & Busters for the second year. Garage of Evil will rent the space when the building is done to teach their network of followers how to build the displays.
In 2004, he co-founded the Partnership for Creative Industrial Space, which facilitates artists finding space they need. Bright has spent the years since lobbying anyone who would listen to rally and bring their visions together. And soon, the partnership will follow Bright’s path and take up residence in the former Butcher Block mill.
“The creative economy is sustaining the economic growth in this country,” Bright said.
That’s why it’s important to support local businesses, he added.
The partnership manages similar spaces at Conley’s Wharf in Providence and at the former Nicholson File Co. building down the road from the Butcher Block mill.
So far the Butcher Block mill developers have commitments from a cobbler, two bakeries, a design manufacturer and a metal shop, among others.
Bright multitasks as he walks among the community that sports The Steel Yard, a nonprofit organization that fosters industrial arts and incubates small business, his current project and Monohasset Mill.
He ceremoniously sweeps his feet together and bows to those he comes in contact with. In between setting up local contractors with small businesses and discussing work on the Butcher Block project, he takes time to tell his elderly neighbor that he has not forgotten to pick up her organic eggs.
Bright lives at the Monohasset Mill with his new wife, Rafaelian, and their five German shepherds. The mill is a mix of business and living space that is 100 percent occupied.
Before they even met, Bright was working with the organization while Rafaelian was transitioning from restaurateur to a real estate investor, specializing in restoring historic buildings.
Together, they have become ambassadors for the developing community of local artists.
“We’re going to add onto the community that already exists,” Bright said. •
