Corliss Park Centennial 1916-2016 Celebration by Milenio Publishing, LLC

FRIENDS

CORLISS

PARK

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF CORLISS PARK

100 YEARS JOIN US FOR A PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION SUNDAY AUGUST14TH2:00 PM - 5:00 PM THE NEW ENGLAND HANDBALL TOURNAMENT FASHION IN THE PARK: THE DONAHUE GROUP

ENTERTAINMENT: ONOMATOPOETRY

Y ON THE MOVE

ASK THE GARDNER

PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY LIBRARY BOOK MOBILE ZUMBA IN THE PARK THE NORTH END SEAHAWKS

FOOD TRUCKS

JOIN US FOR A FUN &

FAMILY-FRIENDLY

SPORTING EVENTS

EVENT!

BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR SPONSORS

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE - SLAM DUNK PARTNER COUNCILMAN DAVID SALVATORE - FRIEND OF CORLISS PARK SENATOR DOMENICK RUGGERIO - FRIEND OF CORLISS PARK WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

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PARTNERSHIP FOR

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PROVIDENCE

PARKS

Alhletics PROVIDENCE

Providence Community Library UR NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARIES

DONAHUE MODELS&TALENT

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE

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RHODE ISLAN

FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY

Creatiye

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

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CNTEA CHLEBRTTIO FRIENDS OF CORLISSPARK

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

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Councilman D.vid Salvatore, Providence Ward 14 Providcnce Parks & Recreation Friends of Coriss Park

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration Corliss Park Centennial celebration Friends Corliss Park Centennial Committee August 13 and 14, 2016

Corliss Park turns 100 on 2016, an marks the Centennial of the establishment of Corliss Park by the

Providence Metropolitan Park Commission! The centennial will kick off a second century of stewardship of Corliss Park and engaging communities through recreation, conservation, and historic preservation programs. We invite you to be part of this centennial celebration!

Get Ready Providence Area! The centennial celebration of Corliss Park of cially kicks off the weekend of January 1", 2016 with three days lled with spectacularevents, activities, exhibitions, historic light displays and entertainment for history buffs, innovators and families.

Objective Statements People coming to Corliss Park Centennial Celebration will enter as visitors and emerge with a sense of ownership and return.

They will coauthor their experience, have fun, create memories, learn and return.

Corliss Park History Source: Providence City Archives 04/27/2012 The original land encompassing present-day Corliss Park comprised more than 195 acres on the north side of the city. Described as a beautiful tract of rolling hills, a winding stream, woodland and two ponds, it served as a respite from the ever expanding city and its nearby industrial developments. George H. Corliss purchased the land about 1875 and he appointed a caretaker to protect the trees and

shrubs "from mischief makers." A small group of workmen also worked to maintain the parklands. In 1898 Edward M. Harris acquired the land from the Corliss estate. Growing interest in recreation and concern over the effects of growing urbanization led the State of Rhode Island to authorize the creation of the Metropolitan Park Commission in November 1904. Between 1909 and 1917 the commission acquired more than 1,200 acres of land around the state to be

used, as "reservations" for recreationalpurposesamong the lands acquired in 1916 was the 195-acre parcel in the North End, which became known as Corliss Park. Thecommissionmaintainedthe park until it was abolished in 1935. Ownership of Corliss Park however remained with the state and was placed under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture and Conservation.

In May 1963, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed and appropriation of S10,000 for the development of recreational facilities at Corliss Park. By the late 1960s, the state expressed interest in transferring the park to the city and on August 14, 1972 the Providence City Council passed Resolution 312 formally requesting the acquisition of the park by the city. Just over two years later, on December 10, 1974, Providence Mayor Joseph Doorley accepted the 195-acre park from the State of Rhode Island. In October 1992 the city mo ved to reduce the size of the park, transferring a portion to the Providence Redevelopment Agency for the development and giving a small area adjacent to the Rhode Island School for the Deaf for their use. The balance, including the improved recreational area, remained as Corliss Park. 2016 will mark the centennial of the establishment of Corliss Park by the Providence Metropolitan Park Commission.

Tomás Aila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration Corliss Park Historical Timeline Source: Paul Campbell, City Archivist, Providence City Archives, Secretary of State Archives and

Secretaryof State Library, Friendsof Corliss Park(2011-2015) Source: Paul Campbel, City Archivist, Providence City Archives, Secretary of State Archives and

Secretary of State Library, Friends of Corliss Park(2011-2015) 1875 George Henry Corliss purchase land 1898 Edward M. Harris purchased the land from the Corliss Estate

1904 November 15 Metropolitan Park Commission established by act of the General Assenmbly, 1909-1917 Metropolitan Park Commission acquired more than 1200 acres of land for use as recreational purposes.

1915 April 23, Rhode Island General Assembly Chapter 1249

An act creating Corliss Park and

authorizing the condemnation of certain lands in connection with therewith. It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

Section 1: The Metropolitan Park Commission of Providence Plantation in behalfof the state of Rhode Island, may at any time or from time to time, take lands as embodied in the following description and

boundaries and outlined in annexed plat entitled "Corliss Park" or in any part of parts therefore, for the public purposes and uses speci ed in chapter 238 of the General Law creating said Metropolitan Park

Commission and of the several acts amendment thereof or in addition thereto the use of the same for

such purposes being for the promotion of the public health and convenience to wit: 1916 Among the land acquired by the Providence Metropolitan Park Commission was the 195-acre

parcel Corliss Park 1935 Metropolitan Park Commission abolished, and Corliss Park stewardship place under the state

Department of Agriculture and Conservation 1963 Rhode Island General Assembly passed an appropriation of S10,000 for recreational facilities at

Corliss Park.

Acts and Resolve passed by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation at the January Session A.D. 2015, Chapter 1249 -1250, State of Rhode lsland, Et. Of ce of the Secretary of State, 1915

http:/tinyurl.com/nllpxlz

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration 1963 May 3, Providence City Council Resolution No. 342 Endorsing Senate Bill S-702 Requesting the Governor to transfer certain land from the control of the State Department of Education to the Division

of Parks andRecreation. (Approved May 3, 1963) Resolved that the City Council those hereby endorse Senate Bill s-702 requesting His Excellency the Governor to transfer to the jurisdiction and control of a certain parcel of land, bounded and described in

accordance with the attached of Senate Bill S-702, from the State Department of Education to the

Division of ParksandRecreation, 1963 May 3, Providence City Council Resolution No. 343 Endorsing Senate Bill S-703 making an

appropriation of$10,000 to be used for the development of Recreational Facilities at Corliss Park, which was transferred to the jurisdiction and control of Parks and Recreation. (Approved May 3, 1963)

Resolved, that the City Council those hereby endorse Senate Bill S-703 making an Appropriation of Ten Thousand ($10,000) Dollars to be used for the development of Recreational Facilities on that land at Corliss Park, which was transferred to the jurisdiction and control of Parks and Recreation as

provided by the provisions of saidSenate Bill S-703. 1972 August 14, Providence City Council passed Resolution No. 312 requesting the State Department

of Public Works, to convey to the City of Providence a portion of Corliss Park for the establishment of a Recreational Area. Whereas, A certain section of the North-end of the City of Providence is in need of a recreational area, that it's residents may bene t by such a facility, and

Whereas, Aside from certain small recreation installations that certain section has long been wanting for a recreational facility,

Now therefore Be it Resolved, that for the purpose of establishing suitable recreational facility, the State

Department of Public Works is requested to convent to the City of Providence a portion of Corliss Park, bounded by Glasgow, Fernando, Corina Streets and Virginia lane. 1974 December 10, Providence Mayor Joseph Doorley accepts the 195-acre park from the State of

Rhode Island. 1992 the City of Providence moved to reduce the size of the park, transferring a portion to the Providence Redevelopment Agency for development, and giving a small area adjacent to the Rode

Island School for the Deaf for their use. 2006 January 1, The Friends of Corliss Park is a coalition of concerned residents and local organizations dedicated to preserve and improve the historic Corliss Park, founded in 2006 by resident Tomás Avila by creating a strategic plan to organize wellness physical activity that would draw Wanskuck residents into

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

the previously underdeveloped space and plant the seed of the idea that Corliss Park could become a positive force in the improvement of Wanskuck quality of life.

2006 August 12, The Corliss Park Wellness Initiative: A Healthy Wanskuck Community developed by Friends of Corliss Park 2010 July 13-16 Providence Tomorrow Neighborhood Charrettes: Charles and Wanskuck Neighborhood Plan; Neighborhood Issues: Parks and Open Space. Evaluate the programming in Corliss Park and

upgrade facilities to t current neighborhood needs. 2011 May 14, Lori Mello and Tomás Ávila toured Corliss Park with newly elected Ward 14 City

Councilor David Salvatore as part of their request collaboration and partnership in the renovation of the

park 2011 September 2, Friends of Corliss Park First community building event with Department of Parks and Recreation, Providence College, Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, Providence

Police 2012 January 26 Councilman David Salvatore community meeting to discuss renovation of Corliss Park at the Wanskuck Library. 2012 April, The Partnership for Providence Parks was established in the Spring of 2012 to bring

together the Parks Department and Friends Groups throughout the city of Providence with the businesses,

non-pro ts

and

schools

who have a strong

commitment

our neighborhoods

and

understand the value of ourishing greenspaces in the community. 2012 April 21 Children Playground rehabilitation by Parks Department in Partnership with Providence

College FUSION Service Partnership 2012 April 30 HUD new directive require council members to use or lose any grant money left in

accounts from past years. 2012 May 22, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and Councilman David Salvatore announced $20,000 grant by Coca-Cola Refreshments to the City of Providence through the Sprite Spark Parks Project, helps Corliss Park Basketball Court Get Back in the Game. 2012 June 28, Attended partnership

rst Partnership for Providence Parks Partnership meeting and joined the

2012 September 9 First Playful Providence activity at Corliss Park

2012 October 28, measurement and dig safe marking of Corliss Park Basketball Courts

Providence Journal, Rhode Island, Monday April 30, 2012

Tomás Ávila

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration 2012 October 30 - November 30 Complete removal of Corliss Park Basketball Courts existing surface, and replaced with completely new surfacing. 2013 Providence Earth Day Clean up at Corliss Park

2013 April 27, Corliss Park Basketball Courts surface repainting and strip lining

2013 June 5, In partnership with the City of Providence Healthy Communities O ce inaugurated biweekly Free Zumba in the Park as part of our health and wellness initiative which evolved into the City's "Zumba in the Park". 2013 July 22 Providence College Friars Host First Annual Youth Basketball Clinic at Corliss Park 2013 July 21 Providence Parks Partnership Music in the Park; Music One

2013 City of Providence Free Meal in the Park program 2013 September 1, Whole Foods Kids Day of Service at Corliss Park 2013 September 1, Softball eld renovation starts

2013 November 13, Welcome to Wanskuck Corliss Par directional sign installed at the corner of Douglas Ave and Veazie St.

2014 April, Corliss Park Community Building Survey Community based research conducted for Brown University's American Studies course in Community Engagement with Health and the Environment, in association with Partnership with Providence Parks and Corliss Park Friend's Group

2014 April 26, Providence College alumni, staff, andstudents will work with the City of Providence in Friars United for Service in Our Neighborhood (FUSION) built Community Garden at Corliss Park. 2014 May 4, Encuentro por la Paz en Venezuela, family day by the Venezuelan community.

2014 July 24, Second Annual Providence College Friars Youth Basketball Clinic at Corliss Park

2014 July 24, Celebrate Providence Neighborhood Performing Arts Rai nni 2014 August 8, Celebrate Providence Neighborhood Performing Arts: Extraordinary Rendition Band; celebrating history, life and culture.

2014 August 9, Providence Fullcourt Boardroom will Host As Part Of Their 3rd Annual PFB SUMMER WEEKEND OF S.T.AR.S. (Standing Together Assisting Reconnecting Success), a PFB S.T.A.R.S. YOUTH DAY and PFB S.T.A.R.S. TASTE OF NEW ENGLAND at Corliss Park 2015 July 22, Third Annual Providence College Friars Youth Basketball Clinic at Corliss Park

2016 Mark the Centennial of the establishment of Corliss Park by the Providence Metropolitan Park Commission. 2016 August 13-14 Corliss Park Centennial celebration

Tomás Avila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration About Friends of Corliss Park Founded in 2006, Friends of Corliss Park is a coalition of concerned reşidents and local organizations that works with Providence Parks and Recreations toward preserving and improving Corliss Park. Friends of Corliss Park mission is to work towards the revitalization of Corliss Park through programming, events, capital improvements, horticultural activities, clean-ups, fundraisers, crime prevention activities, and speciall projects with Parks and Recreation and others. Friends of Corliss Park is dedicated to preserve and improve the historic Corliss Park, founded by resident Tomás Áila a local resident and advocate of the park, by creating a strategic plan to organize Health

and wellness physical activity that would draw Wanskuck residents into the previously underdeveloped and

underutilized

space, and plant the seed that Corliss Park could become a positive asset in the

improvement of Wanskuck quality of life. Our

commitment

to the park is very strong and drives us to work to build a coalition

with local

organizations and residents to de ne its structure and its role with regular meetings and a more long

term plan. The plan consists of the Friends of Corliss Park working closely with Ward 14 Councilman, Providence Parks & Recreation, and Providence College to develop a restoration and management plan

for the park. Together the project partners will seek to raise funds and conduct customer surveys and observation

studies, develop an analysis and concept plan for the park, and host a community design workshops with

members of the community. Friends of Corliss Park is aware that the Park is an underdeveloped and underutilized asset and as a result has focused on developing it into a community-gathering place by making initial inexpensive reactivating alterations to the park. Strategically located within walking distance of the neighboring community as well as the Providence College campus, Friends of Corliss Park plan to take advantage of the park's proximity to these destinations and implement programs to encourage residents and students to use the park and participate in physical activity. Our ultimate goal is to transform Corliss Park into a

citywide Health and Wellness destination. As residents and policy makers see the positive changes occurring within their community, the partnership plan to garner support that leads to the redevelopment of the park and an increase improvement in the community resident's physical activity and wellness.

Facilities at Corliss Park: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Children Playground Baseball Field Basketball Courts Handball Courts Tennis Courts Seating Area

Tomás Ávila

(1)

(1) (2) (2) (2) (1)

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration George Henry Corliss From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

power. " Corliss gained international acclaim for his achievements during the late 19th century and is perhaps best known for the Centennial Engine, which was the huge centerpiece of the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Early life George Henry Corliss was born June 2, 1817, the second child of Dr. Hiram and Susan (Sheldon) Corliss, at Easton, New York, near the Vermont border. The son of a physician, he attended local schools until age 14, when he began working in a general store in the town of Greenwich, New York. In 1834 he entered the academy at Castleton, Vermont and graduated in 1838.

Corliss displayed early signs ofhis mechanical abilities in 1837, after a ood washed away a bridge over

the Batten Kill in Greenwich. He organized other local builders in erection of a replacement structure. 1 After graduating from Castleton in 1838, he established his own general store in town of Greenwich where he remained for three years. In January 1839 he married Phebe F. Frost, a native of Canterbury, Connecticut. Together they had two children, Maria Louisa and George Frost.

During this time he became more interested in mechanical endeavors. Around 1841, Corliss decided to give his whole attention to these new tasks. In 1842, Corliss obtained a patent on a machine for sewing

boots,shoesandheavyleather. ) Corliss moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 1844 with hopes of nding funding to perfect his sewing machine. In Providence, he found work in the shop of Fairbanks, Bancroft & Company as a draftsman. However, he soon abandoned work on sewing machines to focus on a new endeavor, the improvement of the stationary steam engine, which at the time was generally regarded as a rather ine cient or supplemental alternative to water power.

Career In 1848 Corliss entered into a partnership with John Barstow and E.J. Nightingale under the name

Corliss, Nightingale & Company. During the same year, the company built the rst engine utilizing George's improvements, which except for various technical improvements later on, was essentially the Corliss steam engine of years later. Corliss and his associates erected a new factory at the junction of Charles Street and the railroad in Providence, where the company would expand greatly in the years to follow. By the time of George's death in 1888, the oor space within the plant would cover about ve acres, and the company would employ over 1,000 people.

Tomás Avila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

AROPOED DARKorlhea Noth EN

paths ater days labor for breath of Gody free at

Coans DE War RvEn PAE Betweee Eaye Pert (which a aot a park at al)

nd Wanacketending IromDoeglasAvnue to he We ier there isa beautiiul tat of yey roling land, with a ee

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beay Tor ore than hirty yan obety ave broughthetr tethil n ary lhetle on oo tbeselealypades Fromtheresurint ef he l roo nd pel elchedtysberi vchin harefockedberefor chid.

During nost ofthe yearot his owaeribip tbe pubtie

wu alowed free useaad enjoymentof the land

Pren Soy Jrusa

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

ACTS AND RESOLVES SPASSED

DY THR

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OP THE

State ot Rhode island and Providence Plantations

JANUA RY SESSION, A, D. 915

STATE OF RHODE ISLAND Erc. OFPCB or nHHSECRETARr 0F STATE, 1915

PROVIDENGE E. L FREEMAN co.,STATYETROTERS

915

RHODE ISLAND STATE LIBRA Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration 171

JANUARY, 1915. on betitions for new trial, and of ppeal, as are now: provided by law; and upon the recovery of nal judgment, exocution shall be issned thcrefor and

shall be forthwith paid by the generaltreasurer out of any funds availalble therefor. SEC

In case any owner or any person having c

an cstate or interostin such lands shall fail to reccive ASesSNiens personal notice of the taking of such land, and shall o epeo fail to c his petition,asprovided in Section 2 hercof, saicd court, in its discretion may permit the iling o slich petition subsequent to said period of one year from the ing of such description andstatement Proeided, such person shall hate had no actualProike knowledge of the aking of suct land in season to lé such petition, and provided the state shall not bavc paid any other person or persons, claiming to own such land, the valuc thercof, ot be liable to pay for the same under any judgment rendered ngaiost said commission nder the provisions of this act. SEC.

The land

autborizod

to be taken

undcr Land vabe uken vithin

this act shall be talken within two years sfter the passage hereof. SPC. 5. This uet shall take cfcet on and after its

LvO yeArs

pessage:

CHAPTER 1249. AN ACICRSATING

THB CORLISS PARK ASD AVTHORIZING Appmvea

Apil 23,1915

TAE COND RMNATION or CHRTAIN LANDS 1N CONNEC

TION CUEREWIN11

iiseracledhy the General Assenablya jollacs: SROTDN 1 The Metropolitan Park CommissIOn of Providence Plantations, in bel.alf of the State of

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

172

gita

JANUARY,

1915.

RhodeIsiand,may al any tne or from ime to tine

sion aullhorizci

totake certain take the lands, as embolied in the following laods Jor the purpne of

deserip-

tions and boundaries and outlined in annexed plat,

consPak entitled "Corliss Park. or aes part oF parts thereof, for the pnblie purposes and ises specifhed in Chapter 238 of the General LaNs, creating said Metropoiten Park Commission, and of the sereval acts in amendment thercof or in addition thereto the use of the sáme for such purposes being for the promotion of the

public health andconvenicnece,to wit Descriptio.

Being that certain pareed or lot of land situated in the city of Providence, State of Rhode Island.

boundedanddcsnribed s follows: Beginning af & point om the nortberly line of Hawkins Street, so-called. sảid noint being one hundred sixty feet easterly from the intersection formed by the easterl line of Yorkshire Street, s0called, and the said northerly line of Hawkins strect;

thence running hortherly fron said point along a line at night angles to said northerly line of Hawkins

street, fora distance of two haadred fect to a point. said point being the interseclion hetween said line and the northerly line ol Rome Sueet, sn-called thence deftecting 1o the leit at an angle of nincty

degres and unning westerly along thc said norther!y line of Rome street, for a distance of one thousand one hundred twenty feet to a point. said point being the intersection betweon the saird northerl line oi Rome street and the casterly line of Appian Strect

sO-called: thence defecting to the right at an angle of ninety Gegrces and immning northerly along the said eásterly Bne of Appian street, for a distance of

ifty feel, nOre or less 10 1ont: thencg defeeting to the right andruaning northerly slong said casterlt

line of Apnian street: lor

distance of eighty feet

more or lc, to a point. said point being thc inter-

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

JANUARY. 1915.

L73

section between the said easterly line of AppianDesériplion u street to the northerly line of Corna Street. s0-cailed; thence defecting to the left ad runaing westerly along the said northerly line oľ Corina strcet, for a distance of two

hundred

feet, more or less, to u

point, said point being the intesection between the said northerly line of Coring street and the easteriy line of Gariljaldi Stroet, so-balled; thence deftecting to the right and runing northerly along the said easterly line of Garibaldi, street, for a distancc oi four hunded thirty-eight and thirty-eight onehundredths feet to a point, said point being an anglo in said casterly lne of Garibaldi street; thence de ccting to the right at an angle of one degree, twenty-four minutes and running norther'y along said defected line for u distänce of two hundred twenty fect to a poini, said point being the intersecs tion betwecen the said defected line and the soutberly line of Messina Street, s0-called; thence de ecting to the right at an angle of ninety degroesand running easterly aiong the said southerly Jine of Alessina sreet, lor a disiance of seven hundred foet, more or less, to a point, said point bcing the, intersoction

betwen ssidsonthe ly line of Mesina street and ihe easterly line of Glasgow Strect, so-cailed; thence

defecting lo the left and running northerly along he said eásterly line of Glasgow street, for a distance of four hundred teet to a point, said point being the intersection hetween the said easterly line of Glasgow street and the southerly line oi Lancashire Street, so-called; thence delecting to the right and uoning easterly slong tho said southerly hne of Lancashire street, for a distance ot ve hundred f y-one feet, more or less, to a point; said point heing the intersection betwecn the said southerly line of Lancashire street and thc easterl line of Cornwall Strcet, so-

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

strcet for a distance of two hundred forty-cight and twenty-nine one-bundredths fect to a point, said point. being the itersection between the said easterly line of Cornwall street: and the southerly line of

Sherwood Strect, s-called; thenee defeçting to the right at au angle of one hundred four degrees and

hfty-one minutes and running easterly along the said soutlierly linc of hwoodstreet, fo a ajstanee of one hupdred three and forty ve. one-hundredths feet, moro or less, to i. point; thence de octing to the right at an angle of sevcnty-fve degrees, nine minutes and running southerly along the said de ected Jine for a distance ot seven hundred one and fty onenundredths feet to a point; thence deftecting to

the left al an angle of eighty-onedegrees, seventeen mimntes and unning cASLerly along the said deiected line for a distance of one-hundred. ffty-four and seven-tenths fcet, more or less to a point thence

doleeting ta therightat anangleof eighty= vedegrees ty-twominutcs and roming southerlyalongthe said de ected line for a distance of sixty feet, more or less, to a noint, said point being the intersection between said defected Iine and the westerly Jine of the riglht of way of the Southem New Lngland Railway Company; thence unning în a southerl direction along thë said vesterl lnye of che Southeru Ne

Fngland Railwav Company until said line intersects the northerly lhne of Hawkins sreer; thence defecting to the right and running westerly along the said. northerly ine of iawlins street, for a distance of one hundred

seventy-three foet, more Or less, to the

point ofbeginning

Tomás Ávila

called; thence de ecting o the left at an angie of seventy ve degrees, nine minures and unning northerly along the said easterly line of Cornwal!

Deseriptin. (cntineed)

JANUARY, 1915.

174

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

JANUARY, 1915.

SEC.

2.hc

J75

condemnation and taking of said an

how

Jands or any part or parts thereof shall he in accondance with the procodhre established and laid down by Chapter 569 of tho Public Laws, passed at the anusry session, A. Đ, 19i0, and the amcndments

thereto. SEC.

The said lands so taken shall be known as Huso be

the Corliss Park." Sec. 4.

This act shall take effect upon its passage

bc and Lhe iands aulhorized to bo taken under it shall be taken within one yearafter the passagehereof.

ana tobe

taken

wi2a:none

CHAPTER 1250. AN ACT

CREATING

A UTHORIZING

THE WEST RIVER

THE

CONDEMNATION

PARKWAY OR

AND Abro

CERTAIN

P3i913.

LANDS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.

Ilis enactedbytlheGenenalAssemblya8 follons:

SECTTONl

TheMetropolitan ParkCommissionyPark ewpkea Commis

of Providenco Plantations, in bebalf of the State of ionulhorized

Rnode Isiand,may at anyLimeor from time to time

o take reruin

take the lands, as embodied in thu following descriptions and boundarics and outlined in annexed plat, Parkiny entitled West River Parkway," or sny part or parts thereof, for the public purposes and uses speci cd in Cbapler 238 of the Ceneral Laws, Greating said Metropolitan Park Commission, and of the several acts in amendment thereof or in addition thereto; the use of the same for such puposes being for the promotion of the pnbie health and convenience, to wit: Parcel 1 Al that land bounded and described as Parcel ane) follows:

Commencing

the

northerly

line

Tivingstone slreet at the esstern boundary of the

Tomás Avila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

JANUARY, 1915.

176

land now ówned by (he city of Providence and used ny it as a city playground and following the easterly and northeasterly line of said playground to Stockton street; thence along the easterly side of said Stockton street to tae northerly line of Deer strect, following said line northwesterly to West River street; thence along the easterly side. of said West River street

northea sterly to Branch avCnue; thenge tuning at right angles southcasterly along Branch aveniie to the northwesterly corner of Pocabontas strcet, as platted; thencc

following

line

of said

Pocahontas

strect.

southwesterly to a point sivty feet from he banks of the Moshassuck river; thence turning and running soutberly twenty feet ensterly from the shores of said tiver to Livingstone street; thenec along Livingstonė strcet westerly to point of beginning, except lots nnbered 57 and 318 as delincated on pat number 74

Parcel (wo.

of the assessors of faxes of the city of Providence, showing parcels of real estale as assessed June 15, 1914. Parcel 2, Al Uhat land bounded and deseribed as

follows:

Commencing at north shore of West river

on westein side of Clarles street and continuing northerly along said western side of Charles strect to

the land of Metropolitan Park Conunission (Metcalf fheld); thence al right angles westerly along said land

Pavlsr

to the eastern shore of Leonard's pond; thence along shores of said pond to point of beginning. Percel 3. Al that land bounded and described as follows: Commeneing at the south shore of the Hest river on the western sido of Charles street and ruDning south along said Charles street sevent

feet; thence tuning at nght angles and running westerly two hundred fcet; hence turning northerly to the southeastery comer of Suffolk and Cornwall streels; thence runaing along ihe eastern line of

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

JANIARY,

1915.

177

C'omwall street to Hawkins street; thehce casterly along the southcrly side of Hawkins street to shore of Leonard's pond: thence foliowing the shorcs of said pond southerly and southeasterly to poini of beginning on Charles streot. Parcel 4. Ail that Jand hounded and deseribed ud out as follows: Commencing at a point on the northerly line of Hawkins street, opposite the enstem lino of Cornwail síreet, and mning in à straight line

northerly thirteen bundred sixty feet,more r less, to Sberwood street; thence turniug at right angies westerly along the northerly line of Sherwood street one hundred twenty leet, morc orJess; thence turning northerly at right anglcs and running one hundred ninety feet,, more or less, to

Vandewater

strcet;

thence nnning northeasterly along said Vandewater strect to Branch atrente; thence at rights anglcs and running

along said Branch

avenue to land of or

formerly of P. Donaldson; thencesOutherly along said Dopaldson Jand one hundred en leet, more or less, to corner of fence; thence southeasierly praallei to said Branch avenue and continuing in a straight line to the northevn line of Hawkins street, thence

southwesterly along said Hawkins sirect to point of beginning, excluding, however, from the aforesaid described parcels, any and all lands belnnging to

the Southcn

New England

RailAy

Company,

whether the same have been acquired by said com-

pany, by purchase or taken by condennstion proceedings, and nothing contained in this act shuli be so construed as to authorize said Metropoli tan Park Commission to take by condemnation proceedings

any of the lands of any railroad or railvay comypany, and furtner exclhuding any and all water or riparian rights appurtenant to any of the lands deseribcd in parccl 4. 23

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration

178

JANUARY, J915.

J.ials, ho

talkep.

SEC. 2.

Thc

condemnation

and

taking

of said

lands or any part or parts thereof shall be in accordance with the procedure established and laid down by Chapter 569 of the Public Jaws, passed at the January session, A. D, 1910, and the

amendmcnts

thereto. SEc. 3.

He* 1o be

kooN.

The said lands so taken shall be known as

the W'est River Parkway.

Lards 1c

thi

ŠEC. 4.

This act sbail take cffect upon its passage,

and the lands authorized to be taken under it shall be taken within two years after the passage hercof.

CHAPTER 1251. Apnrovet

Apri' 23, 1915.

ACT

ENTITLING

MEMBER

TST

OF TIJE R. I.

LIEUT.

JOSBPH

NATIONAL

AUTY,

CUARD,

JR., ALL

THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES MENTIONED IN SECTION 37 OF CHAPTER 394 OF THE PUBLIC LAWS, PA SSED AT THE

JANUARY

SESSION, A. D. 1909.

1t is enacted by the General A ssembly os follows: SECTION 1.

Joseph

Auty,

Jr., a mombcr

of the

R. I. National Guard, is herehy entitled to al the rights

and

privileges

mentioned

in Section 37 of

Chapter 394 of the Public Iaws, passed at the January session, A. D. 1909, to which he would have been entitled had he becn in continuous scrvice in the R. I. National Guard, Irom MMay28, 1894, to Oelober 24, 1912; the said Joscph Auty, Jr., having been

in continnous servicc from iay 28, 1894, to Oelolber 24, 1912, with the exccption of the time bctween May 28, I898, and May 20, 1901. SEC. 2. This act shall take effect imnediately. Reference Acts and Resolve passed by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation at the November Session A.D, 1904

Tomás Ávla

July 20, 2015

Friends of Corliss Park Centennial Celebration State of Rhode Island General Assembly, Chl204

Appointing Metropolitan Park Commissioners, 1904

Second Annual Report of the Board of the Metropolitan Parks Commissioners to the General Assembly at its January Session, A.D. 1906

Acts and Resolve passed by the General ASsembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation at the January Session A.D. 2015, Chapter 1249 -1250, State of Rhodc Island, Et. Of ce of the Secretary of State, 1915 Acts and Resolve passed by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation at the Special May Session A.D. 1935

Acts and Resolve passed by the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation at the August Session A.D. 1962; January Session A.D. 1963 Senate Bill S-703 making an Appropriation of Ten Thousand ($10,000) Dollars to be used for the development of Recreational Facilities on that land at Corliss Park, 1963

Friends of Corliss Park History, 2006 The Corliss Park Wellness Initiative: A Healthy Wanskuck Community developed by Friends of Corliss Park, 2006

Providence Tomorrow Neighborhood Charrettes: Charles and Wanskuck Neighborhood Plan, City of Providence, 2010 City-Wide Partnership for Providence Parks, The Partnership for Providence Parks, 2012 George Henry Corliss Biography, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2012

Diamonds in the Rough; The Development of Public Parks in Providence, R.I.

http://www.exploreri.org/news/fall13/public parksin providence.htm Metropolitan

Park Commission of Providence Plantations: Sixth Annual Report to the General

Assembly of Rhode Island, 1910http://sos.ri.gov/archon/?p=collections/controlcard&id=2505

Tomás Ávila

July 20, 2015

George Henry Corliss George H. Corliss

Born

June 2, 1817

Easton, New York

Died

February 21, 1888 (aged 70)

Providence, Rhode Island

Resting place

Swan Point Cemetery

Occupation

Mechanical engineer

Employer

Corliss Steam Engine Company

Known for

Improvements to steam engine

George Henry Corliss (June 2, 1817- February 21, 1888) was an American mechanical engineer and inventor, who developed the Corliss steam engine, which was a great improvement over any other stationary steam engine of its time. The Corliss engine is widely considered one of the more notable engineering achievements of the 19th century. It provided a reliable, ef cient source of industrial power, enabling the expansion of new factories to areas which did not readily possess reliable or abundant water power." Corliss gained international acclaim for his achievements during the late 19th century and is perhaps best known for the Centennial Engine, which was the centerpiece of the 1876Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

George Corliss, schools In 1834

Henry Corliss was born June 2, 1817, the second child of Dr. Hiram and Susan (Sheldon) at Easton, New York, near the Vermont border, Pl The son of a physician, he attended local until age 14, when he began working in a general store in the town of Greenwich, New York he entered the academy at Castleton, Vermontand graduated in 1838.

A typical Corliss engine. The Corlissvalve gear is on the left and connects to the piston which drives

the ywheel on the right.

Corliss displayed early signs of his mechanical abilities in 1837, after a ood washed away a bridge over the Batten Kill in Greenwich. He organized other local builders in erection of a replacement structure. After graduating from Castleton in 1838, he established his own general store in town of Greenwich where he remained for three years. In January 1839 he married Phebe F. Frost, a native of Canterbury, Connecticut. Together they had two children, Maria and George, Jr.

During this time, Corliss became more interested in mechanical endeavors. Around 1841, he decided to give his whole attention to these new tasks, and in 1842 obtained a patent on a machine for sewing boots, shoes and heavy leather.DI Corliss moved to Providence, Rhode lsland in 1844 with hopes of nding funding to perfect his sewing machine. ln Providence, he found work in the shop of Fairbanks, Bancroft & Company as a draftsman. However, he soon abandoned work on sewing machines to focus on a new endeavor, improving the stationary steam engine, which at the time was an innef cient or supplemental alternative to water power.

Career In 1848, Corliss entered into a partnership with John Barstow and E.J. Nightingale under the name Corliss, Nightingale & Company. During the same year, the company built the rst engine utilizing

Corliss' improvements, which except for various technical improvements later on, was essentially the Corlisss steam engine of years later. Corliss and his associates erected a new factory at the junction of Charles Street and the railroad in Providence, where the company would expand greatly in the years to follow. By the time of Corliss' death in 1888, the plant would cover about 5 acres (2 ha) and the company would employ over 1,000 people. 82

C1 TxE CoRLun Exoxt CYUNDL

Detail of a Corliss-type valvegear showing the path of high-pressure steam (in red) and low-pressure steam (in

blue). With each stroke, the four valves alternate opening and closing, driving the piston back and forth

On March 10, 1849, Corliss was granted US Patent #6162 for his valve gear. In 1856 the Corliss Steam Engine Company was incorporated with George Corliss as president, and his younger

brother, William, as treasurer. By 1859, Corliss engines were being exported to Scotland for use in cotton mills. By 1864, valves for the engines were being made at B. Hick and Son, Bolton, England. Corliss directed both the business and research sides of this company, and over the years invented many assembly line improvements such as a bevel-gear cutter. Europe eventually became a great purchaser of the Corliss engine and it was copied by the engine builders who placed upon their imitations the name of the American builder.

The dramatic improvement in fuel ef ciency of the Corliss engine was a major selling point to manufacturers, particularly during the early years. Similar to other engine makers of the day, the Corliss Steam Engine Company often negotiated the selling price of their machines on the projected

savings in coal.9

Corliss'

rst wife Phebe died on March 5, 1859. In December, 1866, he married Emily Shaw.

Detail of Monitor's turret, that Corliss help build

The Corliss Steam Engine Company supplied the United States Government with machinery during the Civil VWar. WhenMonitor was being constructed in 1861, it was found a large ring must be made,

upon which the turret of Monitor would revolve, and the Corliss Engine Works was one of the very few plants in the country with the necessary machinery to 'turn' up the large ring. When Corliss found out what the tooling was for, he put aside other business and worked his plant day and night to get this important ring completed and on time and delivered to New York catonnedod By the late 1860s, Corliss began to be recognized internationally for his accomplishments. At the 1867 World's Fair held atParis, he won the rst prize in a competition of the one hundred most famous engine builders in the world. One of its commissioners to the exposition, John Scott Russel. proclaimed of the Corliss valve gear, "A mechanism as beautiful as the human hand. It releases or retains its grasp on the feeding valve, and gives a greater or less dose of steam in nice propotion to each varying want. The American engine of Corliss everywhere tells of wise forethought, judicious

proportions and execution and exquisite contrivance. On January 11, 1870, one hundred years after James Watt patented his rst steam engine, Corliss was awarded theRumford Prize by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It was on this occasion Dr. Asa Gray, the president of the academy, remarked, "No invention since Watt's time has so enhanced the ef ciency of the steam engine as this for which the Rumford medal is now

presented."

Centennial Exposition

Stereograph of the 1876 Centennial Engine

In 1872 the State of Rhode lsland appointed Corliss its commissioner to take charge of the Centennial Exposition atPhiladelphia, and he was chosen one of the executive committee appointed to look after the preliminaries. Upon the great task of arranging the exposition, he worked with his usual indefatigable energy and it was his suggestion that the Centennial Board of Finance be organized, a body which had no little to do with the insurance of the nancial success of the

exhibition.

It was also in his own department as engineer that Corliss contributed largely to the success of the great fair, and it was he that supplied, after the plans of all other competitors proved inadequate, the great fourteen hundred horsepower engine which supplied the power used in Machinery Hall.

This engine, unequaled in size at that time, was installed by Corliss at a cost of one hundred thousand dollars to himself and without additional expenditure to the exposition. The great engine was afterwards used to operate the Pulman CarWorks atChicago until 1910, when it was sold for

scrap.!

Late career and legacy Corliss was also active within the community. He was elected three consecutive times to the Rhode Island General Assembly as the Representative from North Providence, his term of service including the three years 1868-69-70. In 1876 he was chosen presidential elector, casting his vote for President Hayes. In the matter of his religious belief he was a Congregationalist, and attended the Charles Street Church in Providence from the time of its organization. He was keenly interested

inthecauseofreligionandgaveliberallybothto hisownandtootherchurches.

Corliss' 1849 patent expired in 1870 after it was extended by U.S. Patent reissue 200 on May 13, 1851 andU.S. Patent reissues 758 and 763 on July 12, 1859, After 1870, numerous other companies began to manufacture Corliss engines. Among them, the Wiliam A. Harris Steam Engine

Company [1], the Worthington Pump and Machinery Company, and the E.P. Allis Company, which eventually became Allis-Chalmers. In general, these machines were referred to as "Corliss" engines regardless of who made them. The "Corliss-type" engine became particularty popular in Europe. Amusingly, Corliss received the Grand Diploma of Honor by the Vienna Exposition at Vienna in 1873, although he was not even an exhibitor. Another honor, perhaps the greatest of all was given to him by the Institute of France by public proclamation, March 10, 1879, of the Montyon prize for the year 1878, the most coveted prize for mechanical achievement awarded in Europe. He received this honor by a peculiar coincidence, on the thirtieth anniversary of the granting of his rst patent. In 1886, the King of Belgium made Corliss an of cer in the Order of Leopold.

Despite the competition, Corliss would continue to remain active within his company, directing changes to his basic design as market or customer needs dictated. Corliss died on February 21, 1888 at the age of 70. He is buried at Swan Point

Cemeteny in Providence, with his second wife Emily The Corliss Steam Engine Company was purchased by the International Power Company in 1900. in 1905 it was purchased by the American and British Manufacturing Company. In 1925 the company merged into Franklin' Machine Company. The house he built in 1875 on the east side of Providence, is now known as the Corliss-Brackett House and is part of Brown University. Corliss Street in Providence, located near the former site of the Corliss factory, is also named in his honor, as is Corliss High School in Chicago, linois,

Corliss was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006.10]

Retrieved 8/10/16: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Henery Corliss

IOZ

louse (1756 et seq), 97 Admiral Street. Bounded by Elmhurst to its west, Smith Hill to the south, Charles to the cast, and North Providence to the north, spread across two prominent hills and an intervening valley, this valley is in the north central part of the neighborhood, known as Wanskuck,

derived from the Indian word that means "low land'".

Milenio Associates, LLC

61 Tappan Street 401-258-8816 tomasavila@me.com

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode lsland Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

Wanskuck History Bounded by Elmhurst

to its west, Smith

Hill to the south, Charles to the cast, and North

Providence to the north, spread across two promincnt hills and an intervening valley, this valley is in the north central part of the neighborhood, known as Wasskuck, derived from the Indian

word that means "low land". Its two major north - south thoroughfares are Douglas Avenue and

Admiral Street, which run from the center of Providence through the Wanskuck neighborhood and eventually to North Providence, and route 146 bisects it from the bothering neighborhood of

Charles. During the seventeen and eighteen centuries, it remained largely undeveloped and largely unconnected to Providence.

The oldest building in the area is the Esek Hopkins House on 97

Admiral Street built in 1756. The North End was annexed to North Providence in 1756 at the neighbourhood's

southern end. The two hundred acres Hopkins property was farmed in the

eighteenth century as well as the rest of the land. The only highway in the area Wanskuck Road (now

Branch

Avenue) was built in 1706. In 1765 this area known as the North End

Providence was set off from Providence and included in the new town of North Providence (see gure 1) was annexed to North Providence.

During the rst half of the nineteenth century settlement remainedsparse, fewer than twenty ve buildings stood in all the area as late as 1835. This included a small mill on Wanskuck Pond

and scattered dwellings. More

intensive

development began in select locations after 1860. The West River which

meanders from northwest to southwest through the center of the area, and its several ponds were

exploited for the production of textiles. These industrial canters stimulated the area residents to a

lesser extent commercial development during the second half of the century. The largest and most important of these was the Wanskuck Company, established in 1862 when

the Civil War created heavy demand for woolens. The company Located on Branch Avenue, just below Wanskuck Pond and produced over a quarter of a million yards of cloth its rst year. Its

wool supplied federal troops with thousands of uniforms, overcoats. The company rst expanded in 1869 and became one of the country's rst worsted manufacturers. In addition to the mill, the company erected twenty ve residences, mostly double houses, south of BranchAvenmue to house its 350 workers, The company had little choice but to provide housing in this rural and generally inaccessible arca. Further many stages in woollen production required skill workers, and the company needed to lure craftsman from England. Irish immigrants supplied the unskilled labor at

rs and they were joined later in the century by French Canadians. As the long as the

company continued to grow and prospered, the village grew: later structures inchudea company store, a worker's hall, a Baptist Church, the mill owner's house (now Wanskuck Park), a mill 1 Providence and Civil War: 1860-1868,

http://www.providenceplanning.org/archives/history/city-history?page-0,5

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986. superintendent's house' overseers' house, and additional housing for company employecs along Woodward Road and adjacent side streets built in the 1870s through the 1920s. The second major textile manufacturer to locate in the area was the Silver Spring Bleaching and

Dyeing Company, in 1864 in the site of Frieze and Dow's early bleachery. Frieze and Dow's had gained a reputation for the extraordinary whiteness of their bleached goods, due to the clear

water produced by a spring in the property and by the West River. The Silver Spring textile-

nishing operation increased in size and production through the century and employed over

hundred workers by 1897. Like most factories in Providence the Silver Spring did not provide

housing for its workers, who bought or rented houses built by real estate speculators.

By the 1870's Charles Street, Branch Avenue, and Douglas Avenue had began to

ll in with

small, plain one and two family dwellings. The neighbourhood's residents represented a diversity

of ethnic background: one fth American, one-half Irish, one-seventh English, and a scattering of Scots, Germans, Canadians, and others. The town of North Providence, still predominately rural, agrarian, and Republican felt threaten by this new element and to gain control of town government, ceded the North End back to Providence in 1874 (see gure 1). Immigrants from Italy began to arrive in the North End during the 1880s, and by 1910 this group numbered

four thousand. The Reverend Anthony Bove, a prominent

gure in the Italian-

American community, organized St. Anne's parish in 1894, and in 1910 the church building was

completed in Hopkins Square. Residential development in the North End was stimulated by the extension of trolley lines in the neighborhood along Branch Avenue in 1895 and Douglas Avenue and Charles Street in 1908. For the

rst time, vacant lands along these thoroughfares were accessible for residential

development for lower and middle income workers employed throughout the city. This marked

the beginning of a period of housing construction that that transformed the neighborhood from an isolated district into a densely settled suburb.

By the turn of the century, the neighbourhood consisted generally of small one and two family dwellings and pockets triple-deckers. By 1917 most of the vacant land had at least been platted into the present street patters. The increased private ownership of automobiles after World War I encouraged further development in this once isolated quarter, and the remaining lots

lled with

bungalows and later with Cape Cod, Ranches and split level houses. Lots on the hillside cast of Charles Street were among the last to

ll.

Commercial development followed the area's residential growth. By 1900, Hopkins Square had

become the civic and commercial center of this neighborhood. Not only were most of the area's shops located in this square, but the library and the Y.M.C.A. were nearby as well.

During the mid-twentieth century, the neighbourhood's major industries closed: Silver Spring Bleachery in 1939 and the Wanskuck Company in 1957. The new limited-access highways were

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of HistoricResources,.Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986. built: Route 146 in the center of the neighborhood and Route 95 in the castern edge, both through what had been relatively undeveloped land.

PAWTUCKET NORTH PROVIDENCE

Bounds of oridence Gemnal Asvai,V765 EAST PROVIDENCE

919

FomCraaolon lie

Wrom Csha J873

CRANSTON A MAPSHOWING THE REANNEXAT IONS

OF PROVIDENCE

Fig. 129: J.H. Cady map of re-annexations to the city.

Figure 1: Depicting the re-annexation of the Wanskuck to Providence in 1974 after being

annexed to the town of North Providence in 1765

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey ofHistoric Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

Fig. 55: Esek Hopkins House (1756 et seq), 97 Admiral Street.

•97

Esek Hopkins House (1756 et seq.): In 1751 Hopkins moved from Newport to Providence, where he purchased 200 acres of

land. The land was unsuitable for farming, and Hopkins continued to pursue his maritime interests. By 1756 he had completed

the 1h-story gambrel-roof portion of the dwelling, which continued to house his family

during his tenure as

Commander-in-

Chief of the newly created American navy from 1775 to 1777. Following his dismissal by the Continental Congress, Hopkins served in the Rhode Island General Assembly until 1785. Following his death in 1802, his descendants added to the southwest of the original structure a 2-story, gable-roof section and a 1-story ell. Its present state re ects both the alterations made by Hopkins's descendants in the nineteenth century and the restorations of 1908, when the house was given to the city, and the late 1950s. Since 1908, the house has been operated as a museum.

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzic Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode lsland Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

Fig. 246: Wanskuck Mill (1862-64 et seq). 725 Branch Avenue.

•725

Wanskuck Mills (1862-64, 1874-75, ca. 1885): The dominant feature of the complex is the original large, 5-story, brick textile mill with its tall, square, central stair-and-freight tower that tapers to an octagonal open lantern

capped

by a

low,

copper-clad

ogee

dome. The 4-story addition to the west of the main block was constructed in the mid1970s, and an of ce southwest of the mills was added in the 1880s.

Numerous

out-

buildings, housing blacksmith shops, picker, engine, and boiler houses, are stil present, located in the mill yard north of the main mill. A circular brick gasometer also stands in the mill yard. The Wanskuck Company was founded in 1862 byJesse Metcalf, Henry J. Steere, and Stephen T. Olney to manufac-

ture woolens and worsted cloth. The rm was immediately and immensely successful and expanded rapidly. Henry Steere built the nearby Steere Mill (see 81 Wild Street) to increase the rm's worsted production in 1884, and the company expanded to include the Geneva Mills (see 1115-1117 Douglas Avenue) in 1897 and the Mohegan and Oakland Mills in Burrillville. Because of its relatively inaccessible West River location, the Wanskuck Company built a village across Branch Avenue to house its workers (see Shiloh and Winchester Streets) and a social hall (see 754 Branch Avenue), and contributed to the construction of Roger Williams Baptist Church (see 201 Woodward Road).

The Metcalf family eventually dominated the company. Like so many other prosperous New England textile enterprises, the Wanskuck Company's Branch Avenue facilities closed in the 1950s. Today, the complex houses a

concerns.

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

variety

of small

manufacturing

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Prescrvation Commission, 1986.

Fig. 58: Wanskuck Co. Mill Houses (1864), 21-28 Winchester Street.

•21- Wanskuck Co. Mill Houses (1864): Two 28

rows of four granite-trimmed-brick, crOSSgable-roof, double cottages with paired cen-

ter entrances with sidelights and wide brick piers between the windows. Four of these face

Winchester

Street;

four,

Vicksburg8 Vicksburg

Street. Unique in the city, these are similar to those erected

contemporaneously

the

Lonsdale Co. wool-manufacturing mill villages of Berkeley and Ashton in Cumberland. (See 725 Branch Avenue.)

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source:

Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm Mckenzic Woodward, and

Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Prescrvation Commission, 1986.

Fig. 234: St.

Edward's

AveHue.

Roman

Catholic

Church

(1889), 991

Brach

Edward's Roman Catholic Church Complex (1889-1907): Jarnes Murphy, architect. The'centerpiece of this religious complex is the red-brick, granite-trim basilicaplan High Victorian Gothic church with a 4-story, projecting, central tower capped by

979- St.

999

a tall spire. St. Edward's was established here in 186S as a mission for the Irish mil

workers employed at the nearby Steere and Wanskuck Mills. In 1892, the church added a 2V2-story, Queen Anne rectory at 999 Branch Avenue. A granite- trimmed, 2-story, brick school was added in 1907 to replace an 1867 structure that had served both as school and church. The church also acquired the handsome mansard-roof cottage at 984 Branch Avenue for use as a convent by the Sisters of Mercy who taught at the school.

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Fig. 188: Wanskuck Branch, Providence Public Library (1926-28), 233 Veazie Street; the architect's perspective drawing from the 1920s.

VEAZIE STREET 233

Branch, Providence Public Library (1926-28): Clarke & Howe, archiWanskuck

tects. A low, compact, 1-story,

brick-clad

Georgian Revival building with large chimneys at each end of the gable roof, a dentil cornice,

and a 5-bay

facade

with a pro-

jecting. gabled entrance porch decorated with neo-Federal detail. This was the rst branch library built by the Providence Public Library (see 150 Empire Street) to replace rented quarters. This building uses the prototypical design that Wallis E. Howe developed to be used by all branches; however, Howe eventually modi ed his design for each site, and Albert Harkness was given the commissions for the last two branches,

Smith Hill and Mount Pleasant. Other similar branch

libraries

stand at 31

Candace

Street, 708 Hope Street, and 445 Prairie Avenue (q.v.).

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

Figs 170 and 171:

Tewruet

<of Pem dence (19l6 and the Chad Rese

Havsine Praier

a941-421950-51LChad Breee Street- theproblemofendselution lolosw-incONehoasing in he rst helf ofthe semticth century.

CHAD BROWN STREET (260] Chad Brown-Admiral Terrace Housing Project (1941-42, 1950-51): Maximilian Untersee was the supervising architect for this

project built by the Housing Authority of the City of Providence, created in 1939 as a recommendation of a special committee ap-

pointed by the City Council in 1937 to study low-cost housing and slum clearance. Chad Brown, the rst of seven similar housing projects in the city, rose on thirteen acres of unimproved land bounded by Chad Brown, March, Berkshire, and June Streets. The Admiral Terrace project, completed in 1951, increased to 590 the number of dwelling units in the 2-story, brick structures. Built with

Federalfunding -

rstprovided by the

Wagner-Steagall Act of 1937 -- to provide temporary low-income housing. the Chad Brown-Admiral Terrace Project had become a place of last resort for individuals on xed income by the late 1950s. The deterioration of the project in the 1960s and 1970s led to

efforts to refurbish Providence housing projects: beginning in the spring of 1977, a plan was implemented to improve conditions at Chad Brown, including improvements to oc-

cupied buildings and demolition of many neglected and irreparably vandalized units.

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

The Recent Past Between 1945 and 1985 Providence did not enjoy the growth and prosperity which characterized

the preceding century. The city's population declined by 40 percent; during the single decade 1950 to 1960, Providence lost 17 percent its population, leading the nation in this statistics, and a

mumber of formally important businessesclosed or moved away. New development was affected by the fact that little vacant land remaincd in the city, and new construction could occur only in

the suburbs beyond the city limits or on land which at rst had to cleared of old buildings. The

widespread ownership of automobiles and the construction of improved highways facilitated movement out of the city to new houses, of ce parks and shopping centers in surrounding

suburbs communities. The erosion of Providence's

industrial economic base was a gradual process in which the

relocation or failure of individual companies accumulated by the middle of the century to form an evident downward trend. The post war period began with war industries closing down and

returning serviceman adding to the unemployed, who numbered 35,000 statewide at the end of

1945. Plants were closed by Wanskuck Company, Atlantic Mills and American Silk Spinning Company

(1949 to

Willimantic,

Connecticut),

Nicholson

File

Company (1959 to East

Providence and Indiana), and Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company (1964 to North Kingston). Statewide employment in textiles declined 589% between 1947 and 1960; employment

declined 20% in metals and machinery industries and increased 2% in jewelry. The success of

rms like Gorham and Textron Corporation, one of the nation's

rs conglomerates, could not

balance industrial failures. Compounding its loss of businesses and jobs, the city's older areas experienced urban decay.

Eighty percent of all housing units existing in Providence in 1980 had been built before 1940,

while only

ve percent of the city's total dated after 1960. Many large houses were subdivided

into apartments and the number of rented housing units soared. Of 41,000 units constructed before 1940, only 8% were occupied by their owners in 1980. With a few exceptions, the older a

neighborhood, the higher its proportion of rented units was, and a pattern of neglect of property by absentee landlords began to appear. Providence's main effort to improve its economic base and to combat urban decay began in 1947

with the creation of the Providence Redevelopment Agency (PRA). At that time eight areas of *"arrested development" were designated in the fringes of the city where streets remained unpaved and water and sewage lines had never been completed, and nine "dilapidated" center cit

areas were designate for clearance of blight and for renewal. The federal government provided

two-thirds or three quarters of project funds with the remainder supplied locally.

Edward £. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources

Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

Over a thirty year period, the PRA exercised control or direct in uence over approximately onequarter of Providence's land area. Some 1,845 buildings were demolished to clear 279 acres of

land. A total of $250 million in new construction was undertaken, 2500 housing units were built in projects such as University Height, Wiggins Village, and Weybosset Hill; 20,000 jobs were created by

rms locating in the West River and Huntington Industrial Parks, at Randall Square

and elsewhere. The PRA also oversaw construction of

ve schools, street reconstruction, and

other public improvements. Programs to assist property owners to rehabilitate existing housing

were administered by the PRA in Federal Hill, the West End, Fox Point, College Hill and Mount

Hope. Although construction of interstate 95 and the PRA's clearance of deteriorated areas renoved signi cant portions of Providence's historic architecture, historic preservation has been an element in the

Preservation

city's

planning.

Society cooperated

In 1959 the City Plan Commission and the

with

the federal

Department

Housing

Providence

and

Urban

Development to publish College Hill, a demonstration of historic area renewal. The study

documented the historical and architectural signi cance of the College Hill area and presented planning recommendations for rehabilitating the existing but severely deteriorated buildings in the area. Some of the recommendations were incorporated into the East Side Urban Renewal

Plan, while the basic work of repairing houses was undertaken by private homeowners who agreed with the preservation program. Residents in other parts of the city also has embraced

historic preservation, and many historic properties throughout Providence throughout Providence have been renovated for continue livability. During the 1970s, an increasing mumber of commercial and industrial buildings in Providence

underwent rehabilitation. The South Main Street commercial district, part of College Hill and an Urban Renewal area included some of the

rst commercial restoration in Providence. Since

enactment of the Federal Tax Incentives in 1976 for renovating commercial properties which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 122 projects have been completed, particularly Downtown and in former industrial areas where old mills and factories have been converted to

light manufacturing, retail of ce, restaurants of residential uses. From 1976 to 1984, the total investment in such projects was $89 million. Important new construction projects have been

undertaken privately with government assistance in all neighborhoods as well. Yet, Providence's economy has not recovered from the loss of manufacturing employment, and the city continues to lose population and businesses to the suburbs.

Industrial sector declines may be offer by the increase in service occupation; a statewide trend is

suggested by the increase in service employment from approximately half of Rhode Island workers in 1960 to 63% today. Development of new of ce space in Downtown Providence could encourage the sector of the economy, and plans have been prepared to construct as much as 3.5

million square feet of of ces in the Capital Center development project on the northern edge of downtown over the next twenty years.

Researched and compiled by Tomás Avila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986.

In 1986 Providence remained a city constructed in the nineteenth century. The area of colonial settlement on College Hill is a nationally recognized district of restored houses and public buildings. The downtown contains a remarkably intact collection of of ce and commercial buildings dating from 1860 to 1940; while the city's other 17 neighborhoods reveal their

individual histories in their housing, factories, parks, and other features. Many of the most severely deteriorated and antiquated buildings in the city were renovated through urban renewal, and the remaining well constructed and attractive buildings are an economic and visual asse.,

though many still needed renovation. Providence neighborhoods are small communities within a large metropolis where diverse ethnic social customs enrich daily life. By 1970 the mix of foreign native parent-age had decline from

70% as in 1910 to 26%. The largest immigrant groups in 1970 were Italians (10% of the city's population) and Irish 3%, Blacks who comprised 1.5% of the city residents in 1910, totaled 12% or 18,546 in the 1980 census approximating this group's representation in Providence in the early

nineteenth

century.

Hispanic, who only recently have been counted as a signi cant

population group, accounted for 6% of Providence population total. The city's most recent immigrant group, Southeast Asians accounted for 1% of the population.

Researched and compiled by Tomás Avila

Source: Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. Wm McKenzie Woodward, and Edward F. Sanderson. Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986. (246)

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Researched and compiled by Tomás Ávila