At Last, Attractive Student Housing – Architecture Critic Morgan

At Last, Attractive Student Housing – Architecture Critic Morgan

 

165-167 Lloyd Avenue, a recently renovated block of apartments, represents a refreshing take on the slap-dash, thoroughly undistinguished student housing that is overwhelming the Thayer Street neighborhood. Instead of the quick flip of older buildings or the shoddiness of new construction, developer David Baskin and his team spent time and sensitivity giving new life to what had been an impressive, even majestic 1910 block of flats, complete with two monumental porticos. Working with Providence architect Bruce Bisbano and Warwick builder Rouben Balagian of Build PROS, Baskin has created a surprisingly attractive addition to the neighborhood.

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The current land rush for housing around Brown has resulted in many new housing units, achieved with less than stringent design review. Ironically, the most thoughtful housing in the Thayer district are Brown buildings–New Pembroke, the Brook Street Health Center, and the two new dorms farther down Brook. Each is the work of noted out-of-state architects. (In a further bit of irony, this now handsome domestic temple on Lloyd Avenue was purchased from the university following decades of neglect.)

 

 

Baskin, who emigrated to Providence from Belarus in 1979, also developed a four-story apartment complex at the corner of Brook and Euclid Streets. While well-built by Armenian-émigré Balagian, this is one of those examples of Global Blandemic commercial housing found in every city in the country, and which have blighted so much of the 195 parcels in Providence. The Lloyd Street apartments, on the other hand, are far better than the cheap East Side ubiquiboxes with limited windows. And, in another hundred years, the building will still look good.

 

 

As a developer and businessman David Baskin’s goal is finding and marketing profitable properties. Baskin has his critics. Nevertheless, he wants to be, in his words,” a good steward and a respectful neighborhood developer.” He even goes so far as to say, “I’d rather do things right and make less money than do it wrong.” This might be a cynical ploy, or maybe Baskin has had an on-the-road-to Damascus conversion. In contrast, Walter Bronhard’s apartments at 108-110 Waterman will have 26 units, while 165-167 Lloyd has only a dozen.

 

 

When Baskin bought the turn-of-the-20th-century Lloyd building, it was in terrible shape, but he decided to restore the building’s dignity. Restoration can cost a lot more than new construction or the quick-fix-it-up approach, but the long-term benefits can be greater. Here, the existing apartment block was so far from “code” that a steel framework had to be inserted, and the developer wanted green insulation and effective waterproofing. All of which makes one wonder how far the project went over budget?

 

 

 

In short, this is a high-quality project, fully rented before completion, and greatly desired by a certain class of Brown student. The wooden columns, which are original to the building, could have been painted all over again, but instead they were stripped and lovingly restored. These giant pillars identify this apartment block as something out of the ordinary, and regardless of the cost of their rehabilitation, they make a positive statement worth commending and emulating. This is one developer who is giving something back to the community. Let’s hope that 165-167 Lloyd Avenue will herald a new trend amid the often uninspiring student housing that encircles Brown.