Decay Dominates Cathedral Square - Designed by I.M. Pei, Prov's “Dreariest” Place is Now Even Worse

Decay Dominates Cathedral Square - Designed by I.M. Pei, Prov's “Dreariest” Place is Now Even Worse

 

Cathedral Square is the plaza area outside of Providence’s arguably most exquisite church, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.

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The plaza was designed by I.M. Pei and Zion & Breen. Pei is recognized as one of the most important architects of the past century. He was the architect for the National Gallery East Building in Washington, D.C., and he also designed the glass pyramid addition to the Louvre Museum in Paris.

 

 

According to Pei’s downtown Providence plan from the 1960s:

"Today, that space is a funnel through which pours the traffic of five streets. In the plan, the rerouting of automobiles to other local streets permits the formation of a pedestrian oasis, attractively paved and embellished with sculptures, a fountain, trees, and special lighting standards…Thus Cathedral Square will become the heart of the Weybosset Community; the crossing point of Westminster Mall and Jackson walkway, a lively meeting place of community activities. A well-ordered center, it will serve the multiple purposes of urban life in the proven manner of so many similar urban spaces and church squares of the cities of Europe."

But due to the lack of maintenance by the City of Providence, Cathedral Square and especially the main stairs entrance from Empire Street are in such a state of decline that they are nearly impassable.

 

 

In 2021, Will Morgan, architecture critic, wrote about the area, “Cathedral Square is one of the dreariest places in downtown Providence. An area that ought to be the heart of the city is instead an empty, forlorn, thoroughly unwelcoming, and hostile ‘civic’ space. Half a century after an internationally famous architect and a nationally recognized landscape firm designed and fashioned it, Cathedral Square is an embarrassing urban disaster.”

Well, those were the good old days. Four years later, the area is in far worse decline.

The plaza was created to enhance the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, which was designed by noted Irish-American architect Patrick Charles Keely, a prolific designer of nearly 600 churches and hundreds of other institutional buildings for the Roman Catholic Church.

Some of the other notable Keely-designed structures include St. Mary's Church in Newport, the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception in the South End of Boston, and Jesuit Church of the Gesù in Montreal.

But, today, Pei's plan has been obliterated.

The area is grossly unmaintained, a nearly unnavigable entrance to one of the city's most important architectural and religious buildings.

 

 

 

A GoLocal visit to the site found that Cathedral Square has been left to decay and is virtually impassable in multiple locations. 

GoLocal reached out to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office and the adjacent owner about the condition of the property.

 

 

 

“The property in question is a public right-of-way, owned and maintained by the City of Providence,” said Josh Estrella, the spokesperson for Smiley.

GoLocal asked if the city is planning to restore the area, and if so, when, and what the budget is to address the issues. 

The city did not respond to the cost question. 

“The City is planning to stabilize the stairs and address mobility hazards as a short-term safety measure. Meanwhile, the Department of Planning and Development is outlining a long-term project to create a safe, accessible public space that also manages stormwater. Funding is included in the Capital Improvement Plan, and an engineering firm is expected to be selected this spring to design the needed repairs,” said Estrella.

 

 

The adjacent property owner said in a statement from its public relations firm, “Cathedral Development Group owns and maintains only the stairs under the building overhangs. Anything outside of that is City property.”