South Street Landing

What is now the South Street Landing, which we see from the Pedestrian Bridge at the beginning of our walking tour, started out as the Narragansett Electric Company Power Station. It was built between 1912-1952, and burned coal to provide electric power for Providence.

It was gradually replaced by the nearby Manchester Street Station and was decommissioned in 1995. Talks began at about the same time to create a RI History Museum on the site. In 2001, a developer was selected and the Heritage Harbor Museum gave the property to the developer in return for their development of a turnkey museum. The plan was to create a mix of office, retail space, and 40 condominium units, as well as exhibition space for the Museum.

An exterior renovation project was completed in 2001. Later, in 2007, the windows were removed and opened up (some had been bricked in) and the roof was removed. And there the property sat. The economic downturn brought financial troubles to the developer and project and, in 2009, the developer defaulted on nearly $6 million in loans, laid off all their workers, and shut down their Providence office.

The Providence Preservation Society listed the property as one of its “10 most endangered” for two years running—partly due to its being left open to the elements for so long.

In 2013, Brown University announced its intention to be an anchor tenant in a redevelopment project that would house 11 administrative units of the University as well as the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, a joint Rhode Island College and University of Rhode Island complex. According to the Brown University website: “Brown’s role in sparking the robust public-private partnership that resulted in South Street Landing reflects the University’s goal to catalyze economic growth in the Jewelry District, Providence, and Rhode Island.”

In October 2019, South Street Landing received the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Award, which recognizes preservation and adaptive reuse projects.

The property was finally completely rehabilitated by 2017, and a new parking garage and the River House student housing structure were added to the site.

Credits and References

Sources for this post include Art in Ruins, Brown University, Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Wikipedia. Photo by Catherine Hurst.