COLLEGE HILL: 1956
Aerial of the first Brown quadrangle, completed 1952. Cleared areas can be seen in the lower left. Photo: Rhode Island Colleciton, Providence Public Library
College Hill
in Crisis
1956 Started off with a bang. In January, bulldozers rattled down Benevolent Street, and began tearing into houses. In all, 11 houses were demolished to build Brown University's West Quadrangle (later renamed for Brown President Barnaby Keeney), which opened in 1957.
The West Quad was the second major development by Brown in within a decade. In 1950, the construction of the Wriston Quadrangle cleared two city blocks, though 8 houses were saved by being moved from the site.*
*Providence has a quirky tradition of moving houses when the land they are sited on is targeted for development. PPS's Historic House Markers indicate whether or not a house has been moved. See how many you can find!
15 Benevolent Street during demolition to make way for the Keeney Quadrangle. Jan. 1956. Photo: John Hutchins Cady Research Scrapbooks, Providence Public Library.
Urban Renewal Comes to Town
At the same time institutions began ambitious expansions plans, the city saw Providence's struggles as an opportunity to reinvent itself. By early 1956, plans had been solidified for the Lippitt Hill Urban Renewal program. The plan involved completely leveling the residential area directly to the north of College Hill, and replacing it with a commercial shopping center.
Despite protests from residents, a majority of whom were Black, Cape Verdian, and Native, and the federal government declining to fund the project, Providence Planners pushed the project forward, displacing thousands of people.
In addition to leveling Lippitt Hill, the program also targeted the northern section of Benefit Street, suggestion demolition from its intersection with North Main Street to Church Street.
Mrs. William Slater (Betty) Allen, first president of PPS. Photo: Providence Journal Bulletin, Providence Preservation Society 25th Anniversary.
A Call to Action
On February 11, 1956, George L. Miner, President of the Rhode Island Historical Society, sent out invitations to a meeting on February 20 to discuss preserving historic structures in Providence. The meeting was attended by individuals who would become legends in Providence preservation: John Nicholas Brown, John Hutchins Cady, and Antoinette Downing.
The group officially formed as the Providence Preservation Society, with the objective of finding an alternative to demolition. The Federal Housing act of1954 granted funds for renewal study in residential areas, as long as the resulting report provided an example that could be used in other areas. Partnering with the Providence Redevelopment Agency, PPS appealed to the City Plan Commission, which applied for almost $50,000 from the Demonstration Grant fund to create a study to restore College Hill. The project was given an 18-month timeline for completion, beginning in June 1957. The campaign to save College Hill had begun.