To the Downcity Review Commission:
Thank you for the opportunity to make this statement. My name is Karen Jessup, and I have lived in Providence since 1970. I have taught preservation planning and urban revitalization in undergraduate and graduate programs in the US and the UK. I am also Chair of the Board of Advisors for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, an organization chartered by Congress in 1949. The National Trust currently has over 240,000 members.
Speaking today on behalf of the National Trust, I wish to address an item (or items) on today’s agenda of the Downcity Review Commission: the “determination of eligibility of building demolition followed by a presentation of plans for new construction” for two properties on Fountain Street – (1) the Fogarty Building and (2) the Police and Fire Station.
My concerns are threefold:
- With these building sites on the western edge of downtown, by proximity they necessarily impact the critical gateway entrances to the central business district from the West Side, now characterized by several resurgent neighborhoods generating significant reinvestment on their own. Therefore, these sites deserve the best architectural design we can foster.
- The architectural context surrounding the Fogarty Building and the Police and Fire Station, essentially that of the entire central business district of Providence, is a critical factor in supporting the urban regeneration and economic development of Rhode Island’s capital city. What many have recognized about Providence is that its historic environment is, in large measure, what makes the City such a compelling place to visit, to live in, to work in, and in which to invest. I feel we are near to becoming a victim of our own success in that we run the risk of removing existing buildings and replacing them with banal architecture, structures that do little to enhance Providence’s attractive and economically vital, unique sense of place. Indeed, we risk becoming just like anywhere else.
- 3. Very close to the Police and Fire Station sits one of Providence’s most architecturally distinguished buildings, the Providence Public Library. I wrote my Master thesis on the architect who designed the Library, and while we may decry the ill advised recent re-closure of the grand entrance to the oldest portion of the building, because of its Fountain Street and Empire Street proximity, the Library, Trinity Theatre, and historic buildings on Empire Street demand new architectural neighbors that are every bit as distinguished today as they were when they were constructed.
Therefore, I respectfully suggest that the plans for these two critical sites in the Trinity Square area – the Fogarty Building and the Police and Fire Station – are far too undeveloped as presented with the demolition applications to give even minimal re-assurance that the new buildings will uphold a tradition of architectural excellence we should demand for Providence.
Further, we feel it is premature to issue demolition permits, and believe the developer should be asked to return with better articulated designs that respect the architectural context of Downtown. To that end, I believe it advisable that the developer be requested to provide a massing model of the architectural context of the neighborhood in which he wishes to build, samples of all building materials, and site plans and construction drawings showing clearly how his new buildings fit into the existing context.
Finally, the developer should be required to have in hand all necessary regulatory permits for the two building sites before any demolition is approved, in order to prevent premature demolition in the historic urban fabric that may lead to months or more of cleared and vacant sites in the midst of Downtown.
Would you kindly enter this statement in the record of today’s meeting.
Thank you for your consideration,
Karen L. Jessup, Ph.D.,
Chair: Board of Advisors, National Trust for Historic Preservation
13 November 2006
The National Trust for Historic Preservation was chartered by Congress in 1949. As a privately funded organization, it remains national in scope, with over 240,000 members. The National Trust champions preservation by providing leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to people working to preserve, improve, and enjoy the places that matter to them.
The National Trust and its partners advocate for public policies that benefit historic preservation by passing legislation and implementing policies that preserve the historic and cultural fabric of our nation’s communities; protecting historic and cultural resources from inappropriate legislation, regulatory rulings, or court decisions that hinder preservation; preserving community input in the policy-making process; and, researching and documenting best practices and model preservation policies.
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Old Buildings Meet New Conversation
