Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Places for 2025
GoLocalProv News Team
Providence Preservation Society’s Most Endangered Places for 2025
“The headline listing this year is the 02908 zip code between Smith and Admiral Streets — a new interactive map created by PPS maps 260 parcels in the immediate vicinity of Providence College that are now owned by nine landlords or developers, with some streets entirely owned by investors,” says PPS. “The map contains information about each parcel's owner, date of purchase and tax assessments.”
Also of note, 111 Westminster Street — the “Superman Building” has made the PPS list now for the 11th year in a row, after its last tenant left in 2024, resulting in the city’s tallest building remaining vacant since then.
The 2025 PPS Most Endangered Places are as follows:
02908 between Smith and Admiral Streets — Wanskuck, Elmhurst, Smith Hill
“Block-long stretches of some streets — including Eaton Street, Pinehurst Avenue, Pembroke Avenue, Liege Street, and Oakland Avenue — are entirely or almost entirely owned by investors. On a cluster of two streets in Wanskuck – Liege Street and Venice Street, located on the eastern border of PC’s campus – four permits for the demolition of single-family homes within steps of each other were approved in 2023 and 2024, three of which were submitted by the same company,” writes PPS.
Atlantic Mills — 120 Manton Avenue, Olneyville
“Atlantic Mills is listed in the City’s Industrial and Commercial Buildings District, which was established in 2001, and consists of a group of about 340 historic properties that are scattered throughout the city. This affords the Mills protection from demolition, major alterations or large additions without the review of the City’s Historic District Commission, so it is unlikely that the structures will be torn down or substantially changed, but tenants and members of the community fear that the new owner will increase rents, evict current tenants, and turn this scrappy economic and cultural hub into luxury housing (see so much of the mill redevelopment in Providence over the last 30 years),” writes PPS.
The Cranston Street Armory — 340 Cranston Street, West End
"Since Governor McKee terminated a redevelopment contract with Scout Ltd. in the summer of 2023, no new plans have been established to redevelop or maintain the building, adding to tens of millions of dollars of deferred maintenance costs. While the state has proposed transferring ownership of the landmark to the City, ownership has not changed hands and the building remains vacant and in limbo," writes PPS.
Privately Owned Public Spaces — Collier Point Park, Upper South Providence
"Collier Point Park is a privately owned 6-acre public park with waterfront access. Designed in 1996 by William Warner Architects, it is one of only a few coastal rights-of-way access points in South Providence. The private owners of the park, Starwood Energy — a private equity investment firm based in Greenwich, CT — closed it down for a few months in 2024 after it was reportedly vandalized," writes PPS.
11 Higgins Street (John Hope Settlement House property) — Elmhurst
"JHSH has been a pillar of the Black community in Providence since the late 1920s. Prior to the Civil Rights movement, it was one of the city’s only community centers that catered to people of color, specifically African Americans. However, in the last several years, the organization has faced challenges and has drastically reduced its programming, with some community members suggesting that there has been financial mismanagement," writes PPS.
The Industrial Trust “Superman” Building — 111 Westminster Street, Downtown
"The developer, High Rock Westminster LLC, is seeking additional public financial support to complete the project as construction prices have risen so rapidly over the last few years, and as a result, construction progress has slowed to an agonizing pace. Their plan to transform the building into hundreds of apartments — 20% of which would be reserved for affordable and workforce housing — is much needed as the city grapples with an increasingly serious housing crisis," writes PPS.