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74 EDGEWOOD BLVD., PROVIDENCE Stately Center Hall Colonial w/ Roger Williams Park at your front door. House surrounded by lovely landscaping and stone walls. Two bedrooms (plus study), two baths. Fireplaced Living room. Large Master on Second floor. Stone patio. $359,900
223 INDIANA AVE. PROVIDENCE Washington Park three bedroom, two bath beautifully remodeled home. Great layout. Large rooms. Full bath up and down. Hardwoods throughout. New tiled baths. New kitchen w/ granite & stainless. New heat & air. 2 car garage. Fenced yard. $209,000
196A WATERMAN ST. EAST SIDE Multi-unit Building. First floor zoned professional office space plus 3 residential units. Replacement windows throughout, hardwood floors, skylight, fireplace, vinyl siding, new roof, 6 parking spaces. $ 599,000
117 WYNDHAM AVE., PROVIDENCE Elmhurst Arboretum Townhouse. Two bedrooms, two baths. Recently painted exterior. New roof. New windows. Enclosed 3 season room. Updated kitchen. Fireplace. $ 209,500
125 PROSPECT STREET UNIT# 1, EAST SIDE Fabulous end unit with 3 levels of living. Granite and stainless kitchen with sliders to a nice deck. Bamboo floors. 3 bedrooms 2 1/5 baths. Central Air. Master with bath. Laundry in the unit. Patio. $419,000
29 ANAMA AVE., RUMFORD Three bedrooms, one bath Rumford Ranch. Hardwoods. Updated heat, siding, roof & electric. Partially finished basement. Myron Francis School System. $239,900
355 BLACKSTONE BLVD. EAST SIDE Laurelmead Condominium. Bright and sunny living room. Dining area. Den. Fully equipped kitchen. Master bedroom w/ lovely view of water & grounds. Laundry. Garage. Monthly Fee includes taxes, utilities, cable, meals, housekeeping. $ 237,500
15 SOCIAL ST. PROVIDENCE Three unit large Multi Family. Great investment opportunity. Fully rented. Not too far from Providence College. All two bedroom units. $249,900
RI’S #1 REAL ESTATE COMPANY LARGEST RELOCATION COMPANY IN THE COUNTRY Providence • (401) 351-2017 | ColdwellBankerHomes.com © 2017 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker® and the Coldwell Banker logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. 79427 9/15
CONTENTS East Side Monthly • November 2017
Photography by Mike Braca
Benny’s CEO Arnold Bromberg reflects on his family’s retail legacy (p. 27)
This Month
12 RISD kicks off a scholarship from the Family Guy
39 Can Ward 3 Come Together? Community activists and the ward’s new councilwoman think it can happen
14 A dance troupe brings dynamic performance to unexpected places
35 The East Side’s Whistle Blower
17 In the Know
Attorney and blogger Johanna Harris on local government and transparency
19 Neighborhood News
27 We Love You, Benny’s
Close to Home
Every Month
44 Education: A new app aims to take the fuss – and some of the cost – out of finding a tutor
Community 11 Lorne Adrain starts a new chapter… by pedaling across the country
49 Flavor of the Month: Thanksgiving dinner, compacted 50 On the Menu: A new startup helps remove barriers to entry in the food biz 52 Restaurant Guide
An elegy to the quintessentially Rhode Island business
8 Editorial and Letters
On the Town
43 Home of the Month: Peek inside a renowned artist’s 1930s College Hill home
Calendar 59 Calendar: Events you can’t miss this month
East Sider 66 A high-powered doctor couple finds a Lovecraftian but cozy home on the East Side
46 East of Elmgrove: A shopper bids farewell to your favorite store
13 The weirdest and most mysterious parts of Providence: all in one essential guidebook
On the Cover: Benny’s owners Arnold Bromberg, Judy Rosenstein and Howard Bromberg. Photography by Mike Braca
EDITORIAL
I-195 Development Depends on Two Kinds of Green We as taxpayers spent well in excess of a billion dollars to relocate the rivers and railroad tracks in downtown Providence. One of the goals of this project was to create continuous public access to the waterfront along the Providence River between Memorial Square and the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier. The Riverwalk and parks created a network of pedestrian-only public spaces that run through the center of the city, reconciling the urban built environment with the rivers that originally brought Roger Williams here. (Our first tourist!) With an election year looming, the I-195 District Commission is being pushed to deliver buildings as fast as possible. This is causing a shortsighted and myopic view of
all that was accomplished to create a truly vibrant and picturesque Providence. A Boston developer wants to go back to the past by using Parcel 1A – the former helipad on the river – to build a hotel that will occupy the vast majority of the site and use the ground space for parking, thereby eliminating one of the few accessible public waterfront parks in Providence that is currently used by thousands of Rhode Islanders for festivals and special events. This is also one of the few handicap-accessible stretches of the 386 miles of Rhode Island shoreline. This small piece of land is a part of our history. In 1636, Roger Williams paddled past here scouting for his settlement. The Gaspee Raiders launched their boats from here on the way to firing the first shot in the
American Revolution and the French forces prepared for battle here. There is another proposal that we think warrants some serious consideration and support: relocate the Welcome Arnold House on Planet Street, that is currently under siege by another developer, to this site and make it a “Welcome Center,” thus preserving the waterfront and its access, saving a historic home and offering a great amenity to tourists and residents. Considering that tourism is the state’s number-one business and Providence’s tourism revenue is extremely low, this could be a great opportunity. We urge the commission to consider the big picture and put the hotel somewhere else and preserve this little park.
LETTERS
Corrections In Elizabeth Rau’s East of Elmgrove column in our September issue, “Special Delivery,” Ed Chetaitis’ email address was broken across lines with a hyphen. His email address is EdwardChet@cox.net.
Readers React to Our New Format To the Editor: I was shocked to discover that the unfamiliar new magazine I picked up the other day was actually the October East Side Monthly. What happened? It’s smaller, shinier and even a little thicker. Now that I’ve had time to recover from my surprise at the format change, I find I am appreciating the new size – I can stack it neatly in my shelf along with my Harper’s Bazaars and Elle
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
magazines and it fits just fine. I am also pleased to see how shiny the pages are – it makes the ad photos look great as well as the copy easier to read. Congratulations on a job well done. Heidi Heifetz To the Editor: Hope all is well with the team at East Side Monthly. Let me first say, I like your new redesign. It’s nice, compact and full of ads… yet it remains just as good in terms of reading. I do have one big suggestion for you though. How about adding serifs to your text. Since the font is so small and we have an older readership here, you will make a lot of people very happy. Mike Binder
UR FO T O IGN! EBU DES D ED : TH E AN S U IZ PL W S NE
EST 1975
East Side MONTHLY
Big Ideas
for the Future A community wish list for our neighborhood
OCTOBER 2017 • EastSideMonthly.com
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East Side Monthly • Month 20xx
East Side Monthly Publishers Barry Fain Richard Fleischer John Howell
Media Director Jeanette St. Pierre
Executive Editor Barry Fain
City Editor Steve Triedman
Creative Director Julie Tremaine
Managing Editor Tony Pacitti Editor Sophie Hagen
Art Director Meghan H. Follett Assistant Art Director Nick DelGiudice
Advertising Design Director Layheang Meas Graphic Designer Brandon Harmon
Marketing Coordinator Kim Tingle
Choose A Boutique Real Estate Agency With Big Results
PENDING 94 UNIVERSITY AVENUE Recently updated first floor condo of two owner condominium. Separate entrance, front door, parking for 1 car. New white cabinets, tile floor, stone fireplace,two BRs and updated bath. Parking for one car, quaint backyard. $310,000 Aleen Weiss
SOLD 96 UNIVERSITY AVENUE Reintroducing this wonderful townhouse condo. Recently updated to reflect modern features, yet sticking with old world charm. Two new/updated full baths, updated windows, sunny large double parlor. Private entry, parking for 2 cars. $355,000 Aleen Weiss
Staff Photographer Savannah Barkley
Account Managers Shelley Cavoli Louann DiMuccio-Darwich Ann Gallagher
SOLD 466 PLEASANT VALLEY PARKWAY Sweet spacious 3BR bungalow on the parkway. Hardwoods, newer windows & kitchen. Lrg living room and kitchen, enclosed porch. Priced to sell! $199,000 Karen Miller
Kristine Mangan Elizabeth Riel Dan Schwartz
SOLD 386 BENEFIT STREET #2, What a location! Beautiful 2 bed 2 full bath second floor condo. Large living room/den, working fireplace w/ beautiful pine/soft wood floors. Age specific moldings. Large working kitchen w/ cherry cabinets. $385,000 Aleen Weiss
Stephanie Oster Wilmarth For advertising information email: Marketing@ProvidenceOnline.com Contributing Photographers Mike Braca Mike Cevoli
Contributing Writers Lisa Allard Erin Belknap Jessica Bryant Alastair Cairns Amanda M. Grosvenor Molly Lederer Lauri Lee
SOLD 250 HARRIS ROAD, SMITHFIELD Beautiful, graciously maintained mid century modern home. Ranch style living Offers 11 ft ceilings, open floor plans, 3 BR 2 Full Bath and 1 half bath. Large windows overlooking lush 2 acre property. Fully gated in-ground pool. $395,000 Aleen Weiss
Contributing Illustrator Lia Marcoux
SOLD 12 LINCOLN MEADOWS DRIVE, LINCOLN Custom designed 3,200 sq ft home in sought after Lincoln Meadows. 4 beds, 2.5 baths. Unbelievable master suite with huge walk in closet. Gas fireplace den with cathedral ceililng. $630,000 Aleen Weiss
Dan McGowan Stephanie Obodda Elizabeth Rau
Classified Advertising Sue Howarth Interns Emily Buonaiuto Emily Lemieux Marissa O’Rourke Calendar announcements and news releases should be submitted by the 1st of the preceding month. We reserve the right to omit and edit items. Letters to the editor are welcome. We will not print unsigned letters without exceptional circumstances. East Side Monthly is not responsible for typographical errors. Corrections will be run at discretion of editor.
1070 Main Street, Suite 302, Pawtucket RI 02860 Fax: 401-305-3392 • Mail@ProvidenceOnline.com
SOLD 388 ANGELL ROAD, LINCOLN Amazing salt box c1760 reproduction. Warm and totally updated w/ modern conveniences. Wide plank floors, wood beams, beautiful in ground pool, 3 car garage. Set back from road. $775,000 Aleen Weiss
SOLD 1730 OLD LOUISQUISSET PIKE, LINCOLN Step back in time and be the next owners of the Jenckes Estate! Originally built in 1736 with additional building in 1830. Tastefully updated for todays needs. This home has it all! $499,000 Aleen Weiss
ASSISTING BUYERS, SELLERS & RENTERS Aleen WeissH Jon WeissHF Howard Weiss Karen MillerH Gail Jenard Anne Corrao HAlso licensed in MA FLicensed RI Environmental Lead Inspector 0065
785 HOPE STREET PROVIDENCE • 401-272-6161 • SPITZWEISS.COM East Side Monthly • November 2017 9
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
COMMUNITY East Side Stories | Neighborhood News & Notes
East Side News
Building Community by Bicycle
Lorne Adrain starts a new chapter with a solo cross-country trip on two wheels By Adam Toobin
On Lorne Adrain’s final day of rest before embarking on a 3,000-mile bike ride from Seattle to Providence – facing 6,000-foot peaks, Badlands and two months of riding dozens of miles daily – he stopped by the Seattle Department of Human Services to hear firsthand about the city’s efforts to reduce homelessness. For Lorne, a former candidate for mayor of Providence, founder of Social Enterprise Greenhouse and chairman of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education, biking across the U.S. requires exploring how other communities are addressing the same challenges that are facing Providence. It’s not a ride across the country, he says. It’s “Community Across America.” The ride has been a dream since Lorne spent a summer three decades ago biking across Europe. He’s been a regular on the East Bay Bike Path in the intervening years but has never come close to testing himself with the demands of a nationwide tour. But with a high-tech game plan developed in part with the team at Providence Bicycle on Branch Avenue, including a solar charger for his phone, a long-distance-optimized bike and a steady supply of apps to connect him to clean beds and warm showers, he feels he has all the support he needs. By transforming the solitary transcontinental trip into a social experience designed to bring distant communities together, Lorne sees his ride as an adventure not only for himself but for the friends, family members and supporters who will be able to track his every movement on GPS and through social media. A two-wheeled Kerouac, he hopes to inspire his children to never give up on their dreams and to return to Providence energized to begin a new cycle of his life. But right now, he’s taking it one rotation at a time. Follow his adventure on Facebook @Community Across America
Lorne Adrain is currently biking across the US
East Side Monthly • November 2017 11
Community East Side News
Funds from the Family Guy
The first recipient of RISD’s Seth MacFarlane Scholarship on exploration and art By Sophie Hagen
Love him or leave him, Seth MacFarlane’s influence on popular culture is undeniable, from a lemon-headed baby with a British accent to the “giggity” heard round the world. The Emmy-winning multi-hyphenate (including producer, writer, animator and voice actor) refined his artistic chops at RISD as a Film/Animation/Video (FAV) major. This year he gave $1.25 million to the school to establish the Seth MacFarlane Endowed Scholarship Fund, which awards full tuition to a student in financial need. The first recipient of the fund is RISD junior Naomi Bradford, also a FAV major who chose that course of study “to continue that spirit of exploration” that characterized her first year at the school. “I love movies and
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
animation,” she says. “It’s such an accessible platform for sharing information and experiences.” Currently, she says, “I’m learning a lot of technical skills, like how to use the Adobe suite of programs, how to articulate my ideas with a camera, and how to nurture a concept fully until it’s actually ready to be animated or filmed.” Her subject matter involves “hardships I don’t see often and some I do, like romantic and familial love, self-discovery and poverty.” And she’s cautious but optimistic about her artistic ventures postRISD: “I’ve decided not to try to pigeonhole myself [into] any one thing, and just focus on making things that I love,” she says. Of the alum who funded her scholarship,
Naomi says, “It’s amazing to see a RISD graduate doing so well, following his passion with such success. I appreciate that Seth recognizes the struggle of affording a private university for some, and wants to make it possible for students to get this amazing education without being concerned about loans after graduation.” Receiving the scholarship, she says, was “a huge honor”; “I cried when I read the email,” she says. “It means that the RISD faculty see my potential and want me to be here. Also, it means that I don’t have to work as many side jobs during the school year, so I can really focus my energy on honing my skills, making work that I love and that others will connect to.”
Photography by Savannah Barkley for East Side Monthly
RISD junior Naomi Bradford
Quirky Sight-Seeing
A new book dives deep into the hidden wonders of Providence By Erin Belknap
There are many reasons to love our little corner of the country; it’s a treasure chest of unique traditions, historical archives, delightful eccentricities and hidden gems. In her newest book Secret Providence A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, local author Rebecca Keister unpacks this treasure chest in an engaging format. Through a series of short entries, she takes readers on an exciting and unexpected journey through some of the quirkiest local attractions, eyebrow-raising traditions and lesser known wonders of our state. As a journalist and public relations professional, Keister relied on her extensive personal and professional network to connect with local community leaders and residents with a bevy of institutional knowledge. As a result, much of what you’ll find inside the pages of Secret Providence falls outside of what you might expect to see in a typical tourist’s guide (although Providence natives will likely be familiar with at least a handful of the most “quintessentially Rhode Island” features, like McCoy Stadium or H.P. Lovecraft). It’s a great way for Providence natives and longtime residents to learn something new about the city and state and be re-inspired to go explore their hometown. And of course, new residents, college students and visitors in particular will find the book helpful and fascinating in their exploration of Rhode Island’s unique culture and history. With our great state having so much to offer, we have to wonder if there will be a volume two. Secret Providence is available at Books on the Square, Barrington Books and Symposium Books.
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SINCE 1976 Celebrating 41 Years Of Montessori Education In Providence!
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montessorichildrenshouse.org • office@montessorichildrenshouse.org East Side Monthly • November 2017 13
Community East Side News
Dancing in the Streets
Student troupe JUMP! brings dynamic, site-specific pieces to the East Side By Marrissa Ballard
•
SINCE 1948
When you think of dance, there’s a good chance that you picture a stage and curtains. JUMP! (JumpDanceCo.org), a dance company dedicated to site-specific pieces in unexpected places, is ready to change that image. On November 4, the public can experience the company’s tailor-made moves for free at two locations: the Hope Artiste Village at noon to kick off the Winter Farmers
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
Market, and then Eastside Marketplace in the afternoon. The dances will demonstrate the creative partnership between the students and Artistic Director Mary Paula Hunter, who founded the company with the goal of giving dancers the opportunity to choreograph as they learn. Collectively, the troupe generates unique pieces using ballet and contemporary styles. In addition to this focus on collaboration, the group’s mission is to bring art to the public in a new way. “We like to get away from the traditional theatre and get to where we bring dance to the people,” Mary Paula says. “Rather than wait for you to come to us, we’re going to come to you.” The troupe designs with the goal of “speaking” to nontraditional spaces. “We approach it much the same as an artist approaches a smaller or larger canvas,” Mary Paula explains. “For example, the floor at Eastside Marketplace is linoleum, so you won’t see jumps, and we think: How can we create the excitement of jumps? Should we ask for chairs to stand on?” Overall, the November performances will be “a great way to see these young and dedicated artists make work that startles and entertains,” she says. “We’re just so excited about our upcoming season, beginning here at these two favored stops.”
LOOKING TO SELL THIS SEASON? Call Jim and He’ll Get You Moving!
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Community In The Know By Barry Fain
Is There a Doctor in the House? As we go to press, the discussion surrounding the proposed suboxone clinic on the corner of Lloyd and Thayer streets continues. According to Sam Zurier’s most recent Letter to the Ward and a long post on Cheryl Simmons’ listserv by the Residents of College Hill (RCH), work has stopped on the project for now and a prospective buyer, a long-term resident of the East Side, has stepped forward to “save” the building and convert it into “luxury” apartments. This would require zoning changes, however, and city planning director Bob Azar is opposed to spot zoning. The prospective buyer is trying to determine if a plan with fewer units is feasible. Meanwhile, neighbors report that the house “remains uninhabited with windows open to the weather” and the front yard is “strewn with rubbish and weeds.” Is it finally time for the city’s legal department to provide some clarity here or for the concerned neighbors to bring in legal help? It’s rare that we suggest you ever need more lawyers involved in a project, but perhaps this is an exception.
Welcome Arnold House Avoids the Wrecking Ball, For Now There is at least some good news in terms of the proposed request from controversial developer Walter Bronhard to demolish the 1785 Welcome Arnold House at 21 Planet Street. At the most recent Historic District Commission meeting, attorneys for Bronhard withdrew their request for demolition and promised to come back with another proposal for the property. Rumor has it that the house may move or be renovated. At least one of city’s oldest houses is still standing.
Brown Considers Some Demolition A more pressing issue is about to take center stage as Brown moves ahead with its plans for a new arts center on its East
Campus between Angell and Waterman. Recently approved by university trustees, the project will allow the consolidation of all of its student art endeavors in one place and will be designed by REX, a “big name” architect from NYC who built the Perelman Center at the World Trade Center. Five or six adjoining Brown-owned houses will have to be demolished to make room. The Providence Preservation Society worries that the loss of these buildings, most in decent shape, will compromise the character of the College Hill neighborhood – but since the project is within the confines of the school’s institutional zone, there isn’t much to be done to stop the project. PPS and other preservationists hope that Brown considers alternatives involving the loss of fewer buildings.
All About the Bannisters The short street that fronts the Brown Faculty Club may soon be getting a new name. Councilman Sam Zurier has introduced legislation to change Magee Street to Bannister Street in honor of the famous nineteenth-century African American artist Edward Bannister and his philanthropist wife Christina. “Renaming Magee Street – currently named for a slave trading opium dealer – to honor the Bannisters would recognize two underappreciated local historical figures,” says Ray Rickman, an East Side resident, former State Representative and current executive director of Stages of Freedom. Edward was nationally renowned for his pastoral landscapes and one of the founders of the Providence Art Club. Christina was a co-founder of Bannister House on Benefit Street, which served indigent, elderly African American women. This well-deserved honor should be received well at Brown, given its recent examinations of the role slavery played in the founding of the university. And in the remote chance there is any pushback on the resolution – well, there’s always a hyphen. The Bannisters certainly deserve the recognition.
Experience. Integrity. Results.
CALL Gerri Schiffman (401) 474-3733
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residentialproperties.com gerri@residentialproperties.com East Side Monthly • November 2017 17
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
Each office is independently owned and operated
Community Neighborhood News
The second stage of renovations is nearly finished at the Summit Avenue Park
Neighborhood News is a space that East Side Monthly makes available to community organizations free of charge. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors of this publication.
photo ourtesy of Summit Neighborhood Association
College Hill Neighborhood Association At this month’s CHNA board meeting, we hosted a presentation from the new vegan restaurant coming to Thayer Street, by CHLOE. The well-funded management company operates several national chains and we believe they will be a long-term resident of the street. The response from residents has been overwhelmingly positive about their opening, which is currently scheduled for the end of October. They have requested a liquor license for beer, wine and signature cocktails but no bar, with operating hours ending by 10pm weekdays and 11pm weekends. Board members expressed concern that they take care to avoid serving underage students. We also met the new head of Wheeler School, Allison Gaines Pell. She is very excited about her new role at Wheeler, and also that she is joining the College Hill community as a new resident as well. Wheeler has recently completed its 10-year plan under the outstanding leadership of departing head of school Dan Miller, and Allison plans to spend the coming months getting immersed in the school and community and beginning to develop a new 10-year plan. We are looking forward to future community meetings learning about how Wheeler plans to grow over the next decade. The board also discussed the development project at 13 Cushing Street, which was approved at the last City Plan Commission meeting and is currently in the appeal period. Some board members communicated concerns from neighbors who felt CHNA was on the wrong side of this issue, which was never our intent. We addressed neighbor concerns by working to protect a historic outbuilding from being demolished, ensure old-growth trees would not be taken down and confirm that the property size was sufficient for the proposed subdivision.
When alerted that the developer’s website listed the property as what appeared to be 15-unit student rentals, we contacted the developer and the website was promptly updated. Any neighbors who still have concerns about this property and would like our assistance are invited to attend a future board meeting to discuss anything else we can do to help. As always, the CHNA welcomes all residents of College Hill to join our efforts to protect the area we all love. For more information about joining (it’s easy) and meeting your neighbors (they’re nice), contact: College Hill Neighborhood Association, PO Box 2442, Providence, RI 02906. 633-5230, CHNAProvidence.org, CHNA@CHNAProvidence.org. –Josh Eisen
Summit Neighborhood Association Summit Park Rehab Almost Complete The city has nearly finished the second stage of the rehabilitation of the Summit Avenue Park and is planning a public celebration when it does. Concrete walks have been installed, as
has been a small bridge, climbable boulders, log seats and a shade-tree-to-come with a surrounding bench. Grass has been planted and those sections are fenced off while it grows. Still to come as of this writing are a Little Library, a sandbox, jungle-gym repairs and a lot of painting, according to Parks Superintendent Wendy Nilsson. There is a ribbon cutting planned for 5pm, October 25, that is to include representatives from the city and major donor Miriam Hospital. Members of the community gardeners and SNA will also be on hand. The garden development was the first phase of the park’s renovation. Christmas Caroling in the Works SNA is planning its annual holiday caroling in the neighborhood. The event takes a couple of hours and collects cash and peanut butter to benefit a local food pantry. Participants, including families with children and singles having fun, gather in the early evening at Miriam Hospital for refreshments, then head out into the neighborhood, going from street to street. Songbooks and leaders are provided, but people should bring
East Side Monthly • November 2017 19
Community Neighborhood News
flashlights. The exact time and date have not been set yet, so look to the SNA website and social media.
of the Month This tennis ball loving Golden is Einstein. He lives in the heart of the East Side and has been running with us for a long time. He loves his runs and playing fetch in the park. Possibly the best thing about taking him to the dog park is that if you forget a tennis ball, no worries. He is excellent at sniffing them out.
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Residents Invited to Meetings The SNA board of directors meets at 7pm on the third Monday of every month in the cafeteria of Summit Commons, 99 Hillside Avenue. The sessions are open and neighborhood residents are encouraged to attend. Summit Neighborhood Association, PO Box 41092, Providence RI 02940. 4897078, SNA.Providence.RI.us, SNA@SNA. Providence.RI.us –Kerry Kohring
Fox Point Neighborhood Association River Relay in Fox Point In early September, Providence neighbors participated in the first-ever East Coast River Relay, a walk-bike-paddle from India Point Park to Blackstone Park. Walkers and cyclists followed the bike path along lower Gano Street, past the Eastside Market and through Richmond Square. Paddlers kayaked along the Seekonk River. All participants finished at Blackstone Park, near the Narragansett Boat Club, where neighbors of all ages enjoyed a barbecue, live jazz music and picturesque views of the Seekonk River. The Providence event was the eleventh leg of a large-scale “relay” spanning the East Coast. The East Coast Greenway, the national nonprofit that sponsored the event, aims to connect 3,000 miles of walking and biking trails from Callais, Maine, to Key West, Florida. The ECG partnered with local groups to organize the string of waterfront events, in order to “celebrate healthy watersheds, active living and local culture,” according to the Facebook event page. Daisy Schnepel, vice president of FPNA, spoke briefly to participants following the event. “Fox Point is surrounded by water on three sides,” she noted. “FPNA is thrilled to partner in this event, and to help promote our local waterways, walkways and natural resources.” Several other groups also served as local partners, including the Seekonk Riverbank Revitalization Alliance, the Blackstone Parks Conservancy and the Rhode Island Rivers Council.
November Events FPNA Board Meeting. Please join us at our monthly FPNA Board Meeting, Tuesday, November 13, at 7pm, in the Community Room of the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, 455 Wickenden Street. Meet Up With Us! Please join us for drinks and casual conversation about the neighborhood at the next FPNA MeetUp, Wednesday, November 15 (the third Wednesday of each month) at 7pm at The Point Tavern. The Fox Point Neighborhood Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Fox Point and protecting its historic integrity and resources. The FPNA speaks out on neighborhood issues and builds community through local events. Learn more about Fox Point news and events via our twice-monthly e-newsletter; sign up at www.FPNA.net. Our monthly board meetings are open to the public. Please join us! Fox Point Neighborhood Association, PO Box 2315, Providence, RI 02906, FPNA. net, FoxPointNeighborhood@gmail.com –Amy Mendillo
Photo by Amy Mendillo courtesy of FPNA
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Mount Hope Neighborhood Association As fall comes to an end, it is time to hunker down for winter. But you can still come see our extended season until mid November! The Sharing Garden at Billy Taylor Park has garden hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, 4pm to 6pm, and Saturdays 12pm to 3pm. We had a great Fall Family Festival on October 28 and are planning to make it a yearly event. You can follow garden events and activities on Facebook (Plan4HealthMtHope). Additionally, if you were not able to make the Unveiling of the Mt. Hope Community Mural Event and/or drive by it all the time without time to stop, you can read more about it in the great article with videos by Steve Ahlquist in RI Future (RIFuture.org/Mt-Hope-Music-Mural). The Empowerment Dialogues for Community Action (EDCA) will not meet this month. Since that meeting is held every fourth Thursday of the month, it always falls during the holiday season. Instead, the November and December meetings are combined and this year will be on Thursday, December 14, at 6pm. Please join us to review the success of our programs and projects and what we should plan to build on or create for the New Year.
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Community Neighborhood News
One of the four Trolley Shelter concerts sponsored by BPC this year
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However, the MHNA monthly board meeting remains every third Thursday at 6pm. The November meeting will be November 16. Also, the WIC program is going strong. Please call or come by for more information. Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, 199 Camp Street, Providence, RI 02906, 521-8830, Facebook: Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, mhnainc@gmail.com. –Courtesy of the EDCA
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Soaking in the Woods Most people have heard by now that a walk in the woods, fashionably referred to as Forest Bathing, has measurable health benefits. You can see for yourself by strolling beside the Seekonk River in the Blackstone Park Conservation District, the 45-acre park tended by the Blackstone Parks Conservancy (BPC). For active city dwellers focused on goals like efficiency and fitness, it can seem counterproductive to slow down and simply look and listen, as Forest Bathing leaders suggest. But there is considerable research data showing that a casual walk in the woods lowers blood glucose, blood pressure and stress hormones. “Shinrin Yoku,” which literally means “taking in the forest atmosphere,” became part of the national health program in Japan over three decades ago. And now the data supporting the benefits of walking in the woods has persuaded some physicians across this nation to
participate in ParkRx, prescribing time outdoors to patients who suffer from heart disease, diabetes and other ailments. In Rhode Island the effort to convince doctors to promote outdoor activity began in South County, where the Rhode Island Land Trust Council started a pilot of ParkRx. Council Director Rupert Friday says that international studies have revealed that being outside makes most people happy. “Humans are hard-wired” for this, he says. Stress and a need for resilience is something both humans and nature share. In the Blackstone parks, BPC volunteers work to help nature recover from, and become better able to sustain overuse and storms. Protecting plants and soils helps stabilize the highly erodible conservation district. You don’t have to see a doctor to get a prescription for ParkRx. You can write it for yourself. It tastes good, doesn’t interfere with other prescriptions and is guaranteed to work. No costly spas necessary. If going slowly doesn’t appeal to you, if you want a light workout, try joining a work session to help the BPC refurbish trails on an evening or a Saturday morning once a month. People who participate in park maintenance – groups of volunteers from schools and workplaces and places of worship as well as individuals who see the BPC website notices – find the work deeply satisfying, even healthful. And it’s free! Check our website below for sessions and the many events offered by the Conservancy. And
Photo by Amy Larkin
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do please send your East Side Marketplace receipts to the BPC P.O. Box. Blackstone Parks Conservancy, PO Box 603141, Providence, RI 02906. 270-3014, BlackstoneParksConservancy.org, JaneAnnPeterson@gmail.com –Jane Peterson
Friends of India Point Park
Photo by Courtesy of the EDCA
If you’ve visited India Point Park recently, you’ve noticed some big changes. The raised beds on the pedestrian bridge are planted with trees, shrubs and flowers; several ramps are blooming with flowers and grasses from our spring planting; there are twenty new, good-sized trees in the park; a fresh coat of wood chips covers the playground floor; and stone dust now smoothes out the cobblestones near the ceremonial dock. We owe these improvements to the hard work of many volunteers, among them Roosevelt International Academy, Brown University staff, and Simulia Corporation. We also received the help of fifty seasoned volunteers, and a generous grant, from Tourism Cares. In addition, a generous grant from the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau enables us to repair existing benches and add new ones. Come take a seat and enjoy the view! We welcome volunteers to help us plant 4,600 bulbs on Saturday, October 28, 9am– 2pm. To sign up, please email us at Info@ FriendsofIndiaPointPark.org, or send us a message on our Facebook page. -Coppélia Kahn
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Bidding Benny’s
Farewell CEO Arnold Bromberg reflects on his family’s legacy and the East Side’s long retail tradition By Barry Fain Photography by Mike Braca
Anytime a major
Rhode Island retailer announces it’s about to close its doors, shock waves reverberate throughout the state. But when it’s a store that’s been in business for three generations and which successfully branded itself as “our favorite store,” we’re talking top of the Richter magnitude scale. Benny’s, with its 32 stores and over 700 employees, is going to leave a big hole. Benny’s was our locally owned hometown hero, the little blue-collar engine that could, as it somehow held its own against those big national chains for 93 years. It survived depressions, wars, a local banking collapse and a national subprime mortgage fiasco. Now, sadly, it’s about to join another all-too-familiar Rhode Island tradition, as it adds its many sites to our ever-increasing “where X used to be” list. The company was established by Ben Bromberg in 1924 with a storefront on Fountain Street. It grew steadily under the leadership of his son Malcolm. Benny’s current CEO Arnold Bromberg is the third generation of the family to lead the company. He explains their initial success: “Back then, we
East Side Monthly • November 2017 27
were the first of the urban general stores.” As Benny’s branched out from automotive parts and tires to “a little bit of everything,” the business flourished: “Customers depended on us to help them stretch their dollars,” Arnold says. With a store on Branch Avenue and a tire center on North Main, Benny’s has had a large presence here on the East Side, including, Arnold reports, a store on Hope Street between Apsara and KG Kitchen Bar in the 1940s (who knew?). And the Bromberg family itself has been active here as well. Arnold’s brother Howard and sister Judy both joined the business. Arnold was active in the Classical Alumni Association while Howard (and his guitar) took part in leadership activities at Temple Emanuel. As the Brombergs grew their business, Rhode Island was becoming the landing spot of choice for several other retail pioneers as well and more than a few lived on the East Side. The Chase family started the Ann & Hope discount operation, which served as a model for Sam Walton after he visited the family in 1961. In appreciation for the advice he received, he never allowed a Walmart to open in Rhode Island while he was alive. The Pilavin family opened their Apex Department stores in the 1920s, which introduced the country’s first retail credit cards. Its old Pawtucket store is now the potential site for a new PawSox stadium. And then there was Joseph (Dody) Sinclair and the Outlet Company which became one of the country’s first retailers to venture
into the nascent broadcast industry by buying television stations across the country. He was succeeded by Bruce Sundlun, who aggressively continued the expansion from his Power Street mansion before he became governor. With so many competitors living within a few blocks of each other, “there certainly was competition among us for sure,” recalls Arnold. “And it was fierce, but always fair.” As I interviewed Arnold at the Butcher Shop, I wasn’t surprised when a group of mostly retirees wandered over after finishing up their morning coffee to extend their regrets and let Arnold know that he would be missed. One asked if all his real estate is for sale (it is). Another asked, with a smile, if he could still return the bicycle he had bought for his kid thirty years ago. Everyone had a Benny’s story: running in for a shovel after an unexpected snowstorm, or the first baseball glove for Little League tryouts, or the beach chairs that announced the kick-off of summer. Whatever you needed, they seemed to have. My own favorite Benny’s memory has nothing to do with retailing. It’s a mental image of Howard Bromberg slipping out of his suit after work to don a mask and chest protector as the starting catcher on the East Side Monthly softball team. With his help, we went on to win the RI Advertising League Championship, mismatched uniforms and all. Many people we talked to remembered the old “Lost Customer” commercial, a bewildered shopper attempting to find sales help as he
CEO Arnold Bromberg
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
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HARRY ADLER OF ADLER’S HARDWARE “Since I haven’t put big box home stores out of business either, I guess we’ll have to call it a draw.” When it comes to understanding what it takes to survive an ever-changing retail environment, there’s probably no better spokesman than Harry Adler of Adler’s Hardware on Wickenden Street. Now into its 98th year, Adler’s has survived the big box home stores by adjusting their service and selection – and maintaining a sense of humor. “The way I see it,” Harry says, “I haven’t put them out of business either, so I guess we’ll have to call it a draw.” Harry remains confident about the future. “It’s one thing if you sell buggy whips or ice blocks or are an independent pharmacy and are no longer viable. But I believe if you have the right location and a commitment to your customers at the highest level, you can compete.” And that’s the final and perhaps most important part of the equation for Adler’s: becoming an integral part of the community you serve. “If we ever have to close down,” Harry says, “we wouldn’t want to be just a store that was missed, but rather one that was mourned.”
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wanders alone through a cavernous big box store. Written by Congdon Street resident Tom Monahan, the spot was shot back in the 1980s at the Branch Avenue store. “The commercial ran forever,” Tom recalls. “It wasn’t glitzy. But it worked because it was true. When it came to service, Benny’s was the best.” So what went wrong? “I don’t think anything went wrong,” Arnold says. “The retail landscape began shifting this year. We saw the writing on the wall… The reality is Rhode Island has remained at about a million people for decades. And the younger generations aren’t as committed to us as their parents and grandparents. And certainly the Internet and Amazon helped seal the deal… My brother, my sister and I… just didn’t feel comfortable handing the business over to the next generation, given so many uncertainties.” The stores will begin to close on a rotating
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
basis through the end of this year. “It’s not a going-out-of-business sale,” Arnold insists. “It’s a retirement sale.” The family owns many of their locations, so they have plenty of options. Ocean State Job Lot might be a fit, though several of their locations are already close to current Benny’s stores. As Arnold puts it, he is in the midst of an “intergalactic search” for any takers for the operation or the real estate. Ever the merchandiser, after noting how quickly the store ran out of their inventory of Benny’s t-shirts, Arnold is already preparing two more versions. “We also hope to maintain an online presence for our old customers,” he promises. “We plan to keep it updated with old photos, a place where people can share stories and the like. We’ve always tried to treat our customers as family and we hope this will help keep the tradition and the memories alive.” We’ll miss you, Benny’s.
RENA AND SARA OF RELIABLE GOLD “I guess if I needed to describe what we try to offer, I’d call it commitment to ‘extreme customer service.’” Started by gold broker Henry Limer, Reliable Gold at Wayland Square has been in business since 1934 – which doesn’t happen if you haven’t earned the trust of the community, says Rena Abeles. Together with her daughter Sara, an attorney by trade who returned to Providence a few years ago to join the business, they rely on “extreme customer service,” Rena says, to thrive. One example: rushing to a wedding ceremony at the last minute with the ring that the embarrassed groom had left at the store. They’ve also added an area for art shows from local artists to the store, as a way to remain an integral part of the community and remind customers why the live shopping experience is worth it.
ASHER SCHOFIELD OF FROG & TOAD “Sooner or later people will realize there’s nothing more important in creating a sense of place than its mom-and-pop stores.” Asher Schofield isn’t afraid of Amazon. The co-owner of the uber-successful Frog & Toad on Hope Street thinks that national big box stores have more to worry about, and that these Goliaths may actually bring business back to small towns and stores like his. “Sooner or later people will realize there’s nothing more important in creating a community’s sense of place than its mom-and-pop stores,” he says. Much of Frog & Toad’s merchandise is produced by local artists – including the eye-catching metallic creatures that patrol the space in front of his store – and works by Asher and his wife Erin. “I have entered into a contract with my community,” Asher says. “I will do my best to provide something that is unique and special and if I succeed you will come in and support us so I can pay my bills. Shopping local matters and it’s a vital part of the American way of life.” This contract, for Asher, also includes throwing incredible, blow-out festivals that are now a signature part of the Hope Street area. Match that, Amazon.
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S h i n i n g a Li g h t Local Corruption Investigative blogger Johanna Harris uses a career of legal knowledge to make a difference to the East Side and beyond By Amanda M. Grosvenor
Long before Crimetown
thrust Providence into the media spotlight, we lifelong or well-settled Rhode Islanders have tended to approach the entrenched corruption for which our state is known with a sort of laissez-faire acceptance. We may complain about it to friends or on social media when a glaring new issue hits the news, but generally acknowledge it as a tradeoff for the more positive aspects of life in the Ocean State. Former mayor Buddy Cianci was a much-loved figure by many, despite his legacy of cronyism and collusion. Maybe we just aren’t sure where to even begin. Newcomers to Rhode Island are often baffled by the state of our state and how things seem to generally stay the same regardless of changes in leadership; the establishment is certainly established. But if Rhode Island transplants object to the way things are run here, it’s rare that they’ll opt to stick around long enough to truly effect change. East Sider Johanna Harris is a rare exception. After a 40-year career as a corporate lawyer focused on discrimination
and investigating wrongdoing at big national firms in Boston, she is now enjoying her retirement by meticulously tackling one massive local issue after another on her popular blog ProvidenceRules.com, and has become a vocal thorn in the side of the city’s administration. Harris has lived in Providence for 11 years; about four years ago, “I decided that I was going to retire and be a writer, but to write about what I knew – which was employment law,” she says. The book that resulted is called Use Protection. Unlike most titles on the subject, which are written from the perspective of company HR, “this one says, ‘Don’t rely on them.’ You have to protect yourself.” While working on a second book about college rape and sexual harassment, Harris received a call from former mayor Angel Taveras’s chief of staff, Gonzalo Cuervo. Cuervo shared that the 19-year chairman of the licensing board was stepping down, and Harris had been recommended to replace him. At the time, a mayoral commitment to several local women’s groups mandated that when
powerful city positions opened up, the city would at least try to find a woman to fill them first. “My name circulated because I’d been doing this kind of investigative function work for years,” says Harris. When Cuervo asked if she was interested, “I said, ‘Sure, I can do this.’” What she actually found at the licensing board stunned her: “It was a colossal mess. There were no policies or procedures in place. Everything I had done previously paled in comparison to the difficulty of this.” Nonetheless, she maintained a positive attitude and dug into the position, meeting with the board counsel every week, drafting training materials and policies, and putting together a handbook for “everything you need to know about licensing – because it’s quite a lot,” she says. About a year later, Mayor Elorza was elected into office. He and Harris met briefly, and, according to Harris, he seemed impressed by her work. But Harris soon found out that her friend and fellow attorney, the Reverend Jeff Williams,
East Side Monthly • November 2017 35
would be replacing her as board chair. “Mayors technically aren’t supposed to appoint board chairmen, but they generally do,” says Harris. “I wasn’t shocked. He thought I would then resign [from the board], but I have very thick skin – nothing bothers me.” Williams chose to leave after a month, at which point Senator Juan Pichardo (D-Dist. 2, Providence) was appointed chair. Harris thought, “Okay, I can work with anybody, so I met with him and tried to give him my information – he wanted no part in it.” Over time, she realized that “the board was a cesspool of fraud, disaster, forged documents and inconsistent penalties.” To document her frustrations, Harris began blogging about the licensing board. Soon she was broaching other topics as well: zoning issues with a suboxone clinic moving in on Lloyd Street, suspicious political campaign contributions, the shooting that occurred on South Street during this year’s PVDFest, the Ethics Commission reinstated by Mayor Elorza, and what she sees as an absence of the transparency that Elorza promised during his mayoral campaign. Education in Rhode Island is also an “overwhelming issue” she’s working to cover. Despite her criticisms, Harris does not believe that she “has a vendetta against the city or against the mayor,” although that is often suggested to her. “I love living in Providence. Fox Point is a terrific
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
area,” she responds. “I’ve also been on seven boards and been chair of three or four of them. The bottom line is I like public service, and I want to do positive things. I didn’t know the mayor from Adam; it had nothing to do with him personally.” Harris vouches that “everything I write is factual – I don’t go on my feelings or biases. And most of it comes right from the mayor’s own words or the mayor’s staff.” She understands that few others would choose to take up such a role, and recognizes that her comfortable retirement and
the fact that her children are fully grown adults affords her time and resources that working parents or individuals with multiple jobs do not have. She also possesses the experience and knowledge necessary to dissect extremely complex legal dynamics and make them understandable and accessible to the public. When she and other friends have submitted APRA (Access to Public Records Act) requests seeking official documents, Harris says that the city has requested “arbitrary fees” of hundreds or thousands of dollars and deadline extensions before
Photography by Michael Cevoli
There are so many things going wrong that are harmful to the neighborhood; if I don’t shine a light on what’s going on, nobody’s going to know.
providing them. “They price people out of the market,” she says. “The purpose of the APRA law is so that you and I and everybody else can understand what’s going on.” When she has actually gotten her hands on such documents, “they’ve been deadly for the city.” Harris listens “to real people and their stories. There are so many things going wrong that are harmful to the neighborhood; if I don’t shine a light on what’s going on, nobody’s going to know.” It helps that she enjoys writing and the investigative aspects of her prior work. Community plays a part too: “I like to talk to people, to get out and see what’s going on.” She seems to operate from a well of tenacity, fearlessness and thoroughness. Many neighborhood groups and associations like Fox Point, College Hill, Downtown and the Jewelry District are doing “fabulous work,” Harris says. She hopes to “give people tools and to be sort of a sympathetic ear. A lot of these things are very complicated, but I think we have a very good group of leaders with the will and ability, and they’re going to have the tools.” ProvidenceRules.com has received around 60,000 hits since it started in December 2015. For those seeking to effect change, Harris has some advice: “Everything I started out with, I knew nothing. But you can always educate yourself. Read the newspaper, read blogs, and then you have to follow up.” She also recommends finding allies. If you take a stand, “There are going to be people who don’t like it, who tell you you’re wrong or crazy, but as long as you know that what you’re doing is right, that’s what matters.”
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Can Ward 3 Come Together? With new leadership and activists working to connect Summit and Mt. Hope’s disparate needs, there may be hope for bridging the ward’s socioeconomic divide
by Dan McGowan • photography by Mike Braca
A
s she was canvassing the neighborhood during her city council campaign this summer, Nirva LaFortune found herself standing in front of a million-dollar home on Hartshorn Road, just steps away from Blackstone Boulevard. Suddenly, a feeling of doubt rushed over her. “What am I getting myself into?” she recalls asking herself. “How am I going to represent someone who lives here? I can’t afford to live here.” Welcome to life in Ward 3, where being the councilperson here requires balancing your time between the requests of the wealthiest 1% of the city with more complicated issues in the less affluent part of the community. From sidewalks in Summit and Blackstone to the threat of gentrification and still too frequent bursts of violence in Mount Hope, finding common ground in a ward where residents’ needs vary so widely from block to block isn’t easy. So is there a way to unite such a diverse community? Neighbors say it will take communication, a willingness to build on what’s already working and a level of follow-through the ward hasn’t seen over the last decade. Dr. Dannie Ritchie, a family physician and the founder of Community Health Innovations of RI, has been working with Mount Hope residents for more than a decade. Among the more notable projects she has led recently was the painting of a mural near the corner of Cypress and Camp streets, across from Billy Taylor Park. Ritchie says she has tried to create a community dialogue, bringing together storytellers and fostering intergenerational conversations to pass on the history of the neighborhood to younger residents. But she acknowledges
capacity building can “take a lot longer than anybody expects.” When it comes to bringing the community together, Ritchie says that one challenge is Ward 3’s “fractured history.” There has been racial tension around Mount Hope for close to two centuries and while the neighborhood may no longer see riots, there is a fear that residents of other parts of the ward may have interests that could be disruptive to the area, particularly when it comes to affordable housing. “It’s a delicate balance because of the history of really displacing a large part of the community of color there,” Ritchie says. At the same time, the residents of Mount Hope simply have different challenges than folks in other parts of Ward 3, according to Leah Williams Metts, a community activist who
grew up in Mount Hope and attended Hope High School. She says a lack of opportunity around the neighborhood is directly related to crime in the area. “Today, parents are forced to work multiple jobs and longer hours despite having children,” Metts says. “Pair that with the lack of jobs as well as recreational and educational programs after school and during the weekends for children over the age of 14, and you get the perfect storm.” On the other side of the ward, Ethan Gyles says that he wants to break the social wall that exists between Camp Street and Hope Street. Gyles, the president of the Summit Neighborhood Association, says that his organization is actively seeking ways to strengthen ties between the neighborhoods.
Ward 3's newly elected councilwoman, Nirva LaFortune, is tasked with uniting the ward's diverse community
East Side Monthly • November 2017 39
Gyles points to several candidate forums the Summit and Mount Hope neighborhood associations held during the city council race this summer as examples of the effort to keep the dialogue open. He says he wants to lead his organization “in being cooperative” with other neighborhoods without coming off as overbearing or patriarchal. “We’re not expecting Councilwoman LaFortune to be able to lead the charge and fix the divide overnight,” Gyles says. “We want to partner with her and find ways.” Now, LaFortune finds herself learning on the job. The complaints that reach City Hall are actually quite similar no matter where you turn in Ward 3. Of the 66 open cases in the community that were being reviewed by the mayor’s Center for City Services in September, half were related to issues with trees, street signs or streetlights. Other grievances included broken trash bins, cars speeding and potholes. But LaFortune says that she’s constantly talking to her neighbors to learn about the deeper issues affecting the ward. She explains that sidewalks are the top complaint she hears the closer she gets to Lippitt Park, but affordable housing and crime are more top of mind in Mount Hope. She is already calling on the Providence Police to reopen the Camp Street substation as part of an effort to bring more officers on
Community activist Leah Williams Metts says that lack of jobs and activities for kids in Mount Hope correlates with crime in the area
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
Physician and community activist Dannie Ritchie is trying to foster dialogues between older and younger residents of the neighborhood
foot patrols or bikes to the neighborhood. She’s hopeful that expanded community policing will lead to stronger relationships between the cops and residents. On the campaign trail, LaFortune says that she heard loud and clear that residents didn’t feel informed about what was happening in City Hall or within the ward. While her predecessor, former councilman Kevin Jackson, would return phone calls, he had little presence on social media and didn’t issue a weekly
newsletter the way Councilman Sam Zurier does in Ward 2. LaFortune plans to issue newsletters at least twice per month. More importantly, she says, “part of the work I want to do is get more of the community engaged and the whole community advocating.” That also means making sure she’s present all over the ward. On one Saturday morning in September, that meant walking from the bagel shop on Doyle Avenue over to Billy Taylor Park, followed by a trip down Hope Street toward the farmers market. “We really should have gone to North Main Street too,” she remarks. The early reviews suggest something is working. Metts credits LaFortune with getting involved with a wide array of community groups throughout the ward. And Gyles reports that she was quick to act following a car accident on Fourth Street, convincing the city to conduct a traffic study that showed a need for a four-way stop sign at an intersection. It may have not solved all of the ward’s problems, but Gyles says it showed that LaFortune can deliver on promises. “I think everyone walked away happy,” he says. “This level of responsiveness is refreshing.”
East Side Monthly • November 2017 41
Please join Brown University for a public meeting on Brown’s Institutional Master Plan Amendment, including an update on the new Performing Arts Center. Tuesday, November 14 • 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Brown RISD Hillel, Social Hall 80 Brown St. (corner of Angell St.) Thursday, November 16 • 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, Studio 2 154 Angell St. (near Thayer St.) Questions: community@brown.edu or 863-3717
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
CLOSE TO HOME Home and Family | Education
At Home on the East Side
A World of Art
Howard BenTré and Wendy MacGaw bring global finds back to College Hill By Julie Tremaine
With works in galleries all
over the world, including pieces at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston’s Museum of Fine Art, you’d think that artist Howard BenTré would be the collector of the family. Not so - that would be his wife, artist Wendy MacGaw, whose art consultancy and shipping company AMS brings her all over the world. On the shelves of the bookcase Howard designed, she explains, “there are Chinese rice bowls, American arts and crafts pottery, Peruvian
tobacco bags, a Nepalese match holder and smaller pieces of Howard’s work. I love to look at all of our collection and remember where we’ve been.” Their 1939 Bauhaus-style home sits on a plot on College Hill originally owned by the heirs of Fruit of the Loom. When they renovated, they preserved almost everything. “At the time it was built, this was really avant garde,” Wendy says. Howard came to RISD to get a graduate degree in 1978. “I just fell in love with Providence
and stayed,” he says. In their relationship, “We commuted back and forth for a number of years. When Wendy started looking to move here, I said, I’m not leaving the East Side. We can walk to dinner, we can walk downtown. Wendy likes to call me Mr. Providence.” “Being in Michigan for 22 years, I’m so thrilled not to be in a car,” Wendy says. “You can walk and see beautiful architecture, and smell the flowers. I love it here.”
Photography by Mike Braca East Side Monthly • November 2017 43
Close to Home Education
Mentoring for Students, by Students
Providence’s Ethan Binder launches an innovative peer-to-peer tutoring program By Lauri Lee
Ethan Binder, a graduate
of Moses Brown School and a junior at Lafayette College, was struck with inspiration as he watched his younger brother struggle to manage schoolwork and college applications. Binder’s brother was lucky to connect with a Brown University student who became a peer mentor to him, making Ethan wonder how many other high school students might be looking for mentorship from their slightly older peers. Binder enlisted the help of two other Lafayette students, co-founders Zura Mestiashvili and Erik Laucks, to develop GoPeer. org, a website and mobile app with the mission of providing “convenient, affordable, engaging and highly effective education to all students.” Two other computer science and engineering students, Ezekiel Elin and Wassim Gharbi, have also been instrumental in setting up the GoPeer platform. The premise is simple. Students (or parents) can search for a college student to tutor them in one of 49 subjects, with more subjects being added all the time, from Algebra to Test Prep to Oceanography to Music Production, based on a zip code. Users can also narrow the search by available days and times, college attended or distance. The tutors are not only academically qualified; they are also personable and approachable. Many of them have prior experience in mentoring or otherwise working with younger students. For example, GoPeer tutor Fiona states in her profile, “I have worked formally with students in AP Biology, Precalculus, and AP Chemistry classes for the past two years. In addition, I tutor advanced English for foreign students/English Language Learners.” Brandon, currently a sophomore at Brown, formerly served as a Peer Mentor while he was in high school in Texas. As Binder explains, “I wanted to make private tuition more affordable and accessible,
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
GoPeer’s listings of tutors can be searched by subject, availability and distance
so that more K- 12 students could experience the same learning environment that my brother was exposed to. A big focus for us is the idea of providing relatable, engaging and effective learning experiences through cross-age peer learning.” Binder and his colleagues believe that their site allows students to explore their interests, extending learning outside the school day and providing something far more valuable than the online lessons available through Khan Academy or YouTube. As the GoPeer blog states, “With us, the process of learning stems directly from human interaction... Humans evolved as social
beings and we often learn best in social settings. With this understanding, GoPeer hopes to humanize Google – to regain the human connection that is lost when a student just searches and answers questions with a computer.” GoPeer is currently only available in the Providence area, although Binder’s ultimate goal is for the site to become a nationwide service. The program is looking for high school representatives and college tutors to help them expand their offerings and their reach. In the meantime, those of us here in Rhode Island are the first beneficiaries of Binder’s innovation.
Smart News Brown University to Replace Student Loans with Grants Starting with the 2018-2019 school year, Brown University will replace all packaged student loan plans with grants that do not have to be paid back. This action will apply to all current and newly enrolled students, and will help to make a Brown education more affordable, allowing students to attend without acquiring thousands of dollars worth of debt. Dean of Admission Logan Powell believes that this step will make Brown more attractive to students and their families. “Every year, as thousands of talented students receive offers of college admission and consider their options, decisions often come down to the math. No student or family should be forced into the heartbreaking decision of whether to turn down admission because of the burden of loan debt.” Mayor Elorza Commits $200M to School Infrastructure Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has announced a ten-year commitment of $200 million to Providence public school infrastructure. This announcement followed the public release of the report on the All In: Providence Education Summit held in April. Adeola Oredola, the summit coordinator, says, “It’s critical that we have school buildings that match our vision for learning in Providence. This is an opportunity to come together and make sure we’re creating the conditions for students and teachers to thrive.” The proposed process includes the appointment of a School Planning Consulting team and community engagement to develop a 5-Year Capital Plan to rehabilitate Providence school facilities. Mayor Elorza adds, “With the city’s finances improving, we can make investments in the things that really matter, like fixing our schools.” To read more about the plan, visit ProvidenceRI.gov.
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
The first thing I bought at Benny’s was a sled. Not the fancy red ones in the storybooks, but a plastic sled that was as big as a Buick. It was blue. I took the boys to a hill in East Providence and let go. They barely dodged a grove of hemlocks. I gave the sled away, but now I wish I had kept it. It’d be nice to have a memento from one of my cherished hangouts. I felt lousy when I heard the news that Benny’s would be closing all 31 of its stores by the end of the year. My first thought was selfish: Now I’d have to go to a cavernous, warehouse-style big box store with aisles a mile long, merchandise
coated with dust and employees who would rather be doing something else, like watching a ballgame or fishing. My second thought was more complicated. I never set foot in a Benny’s until I had a house in need of repair and kids (two boys) and then I went there all the time. I liked the one on Branch Avenue in Providence, across from the North Burial Ground. I also shopped at the Benny’s near the East Providence line, down the street from car dealerships and a McDonald’s, but it wasn’t as fun as the one on Branch. That Benny’s was filled with managers and workers who
Illustration by Lia Marcoux
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laughed and talked to you like you were their favorite cousin. Customers of all ages and from all walks of life shopped there, and the lack of pretense among them was refreshing. The aisles were narrow, and the merchandise was always within reach. No one had to tiptoe to get, say, a package of light bulbs. “Where’s the laundry detergent?� a woman asked me once. “Around the corner,� I said, standing by a shelf of cleaning supplies. “By the plastic bins and trash cans.� That would never happen at Home Depot. I bought many things at Benny’s. I bought mops, Pine Sol, Comet, Murphy Oil Soap, Windex, Brillo pads, Clorox wipes and Easy Off. I bought paper towels, paper napkins, paper plates, red plastic cups, a red-checkered tablecloth and a door mat. I bought a whistling tea kettle and a frying pan. I bought brown towels, a bathroom scale, hooks for a shower curtain and a shower caddy that holds three bottles of shampoo. I bought Legos, Scrabble, Settlers of Catan, Uncle Wiggily, Rescue Heroes, baseballs, bats, baseball pants, batting gloves and a coach’s whistle. I bought salty peanuts, Swedish Fish and a box of chocolatecovered cherries. I bought air conditioners, a bike pump and two tricycle bells decorated with horses. I bought a flat-head screwdriver and a sweatshirt. I bought a package of Bazooka Joe bubble gum. Sometimes, I didn’t buy anything. I just liked wandering around the place: America at its best. My last visit was depressing. Many of the shelves were bare, or on their way to emptiness. What remained was in some disarray, victims of overzealous shoppers looking for bargains. I didn’t recognize some of the employees, which made me wonder if management had dismissed workers early. I wondered where they might land. Home Depot? Lowe’s? Rocky’s, which I guess wouldn’t be so bad. Not the same energy, but at least the stores are small. I didn’t buy much during that visit. A roll of aluminum foil, a football and two pairs of white crew socks. The man in front of me expressed his condolences to the cashier, but I didn’t, and I regret that. “Too bad you’re closing,� I should’ve said. “I hope everyone finds work.� I did keep a souvenir: my shopping bag declaring in red letters, “Benny’s – Your Favorite Store.� So true. So long.
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MEET THE ARTISTS - OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, November 30th 5pm - 9pm Live music & refreshments SHOW & SALE DATES December 1-3 & December 8-10 Fridays 12pm - 8pm Saturdays 10am - 6pm Sundays 10am - 6pm
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
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ON THE TOWN Restaurant and Food | Restaurant Guide | Calendar of Events
Flavor of the Month
Bird Is the Word… Even on Doughnuts and Pizza
East Side eateries put two unusual twists on the traditional Thanksgiving Day meal By Julie Tremaine
Photography (L) by Katie Leclerc, (R) by Meghan H. Follett
For years, Fellini’s Pizzeria (FelliniPizzeria.com) on Wickenden has been the victor of the unofficial contest for The City’s Most Creative Use of Thanksgiving Dinner Food. Their once-a-year Thanksgiving Pizza, topped with mashed potatoes, turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, has been a beloved – and admittedly strange – East Side tradition for years. It’s only available on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (so smart, since who’s cooking dinner that night?) and it has customers ordering weeks in advance and lining up out the door for pickup.
Now, though, PVDonuts (PVDonuts.com) on Ives Street is getting in the Unusual Thanksgiving Foods game. The week before Thanksgiving, they’ll be releasing their Friendsgiving Donut: a brioche doughnut topped with mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, fried chicken and cranberry glaze. Last year when it debuted, it caught the attention of major media outlets like Refinery 29 and Cosmopolitan, in addition to hundreds upon hundreds of Providenizens who had to try it, but not before putting a photo on their social media. This year, it’s coming back for another delicious pre-Thanksgiving feeding frenzy. Get there early to get one for yourself: the Friendsgiving sells out fast.
East Side Monthly • November 2017 49
Call to Make an
On the Town On the Menu
Appointment A New Incubator for Foodies
Foodworks’ startup incubator is cooking up big things in Providence By Erin Belknap
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Rhode Island now has a new major resource helping to launch small food businesses: Foodworks (TheFoodworks.com/Providence), the city’s first shared commissary kitchen and “food incubator.” Like Hope and Main in Warren, Foodworks is designed to empower local food entrepreneurs. Foodworks removes barriers to entry into the industry by providing small businesses with a space for commercial cooking and dining. But their services extend far beyond just the physical space. They also offer growth opportunities like educational
workshops, access to local mentors, food photography and rentable space for pop-up eateries and private functions. To date, Foodworks’ inaugural location in Brooklyn has served more than 100 food businesses, jumpstarting many of them into thriving and successful ventures. Foodworks’ new location in Providence’s West End features brand new equipment, high ceilings and great natural light. With room for up to 50 food businesses onsite, they are currently accepting applications from candidates interested in using the shared kitchen space.
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East Side Monthly • November 2017
Need some food inspiration before the holidays? This fall, Al Forno (AlForno.com) on South Water Street is offering a series of Local Harvest Cooking Classes. Participants will work with Al Forno’s renowned chefs to learn how to prepare a delicious upscale meal at home. Each class features a new menu and showcases seasonal ingredients from a local purveyor. After two hours in the kitchen, classes end with a celebratory meal where participants get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Class size is limited, so early sign-up is encouraged. November 4’s class will feature produce from Steere Orchard in Greenville, and the November 18 class sources food from Hillside Mushrooms in Little Compton.
Photography (bottom) by Mike Braca
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Photography (bottom) by Ron Cowie
A unique experience, minutes from Wickford Village
The brown-spirits renaissance shows no signs of slowing, and the city is celebrating this most beloved tradition with Bourbon Street Providence (RIConvention.com). Dozens of vendors including the best area distilleries and restaurants will gather at the Rhode Island Convention Center on November 4 to showcase their revered whiskey, scotch and bourbon selections. Live music from Mickey Lamantia and Neal and the Vipers will set the mood for a spirited evening as guests enjoy neat tastings, inspired cocktails and delicious food pairings. Interested guests can also participate in an exclusive tasting with the ambassador of a renowned Macallan distillery. What better way to stay warm and tingly in this chilly fall weather?
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Studio460Gallery.com 460 Tower Hill Road Wickford • 401-640-9435 East Side Monthly • November 2017 51
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82 Rolfe Square, Cranston 781-2200, CharactersCafe.org
“
FASCINATING AND MOVING. INCOGNITO IS AT
THE TOP OF ITS CLASS.� THE GUARDIAN
PROVIDENCE AREA 10 Prime Steak & Sushi Fashionable prime steakhouse with award-winning sushi. 55 Pine St, Providence, 453-2333. LD $$$ Blake’s Tavern Premier Irish pub with two event rooms in the heart of downtown Providence. 122 Washington St, Providence. 274-1230. LD $$
172 Exchange St
Pawtucket, RI
52
directed by
tyl er do browsky
East Side Monthly • November 2017
Cafe di Panni Italian American dining with an available banquet facility. 187 Pocasset Ave, Providence, 944-0840. LD $-$$
CAV Eclectic cuisine and art in a historic setting. 14 Imperial Pl, Providence, 7519164. BrLD $$-$$$ Centro Restaurant & Lounge Contemporary cuisine and cocktails. 1 West Exchange St, Providence, 228-6802. BLD $$$ Chapel Grille Gourmet food overlooking the Providence skyline. 3000 Chapel View Blvd, Cranston, 944-4900. BrLD $$$ Character’s Cafe & Theatre 82 Hybrid art space with all-day breakfast, coffee and theatre-inspired entrees. 82 Rolfe Sq,
A MUST TRY
Cranston, 490-9475. BL $ Harry’s Bar & Burger Called the “Best Burger in America” by CNN. Over 50 craft beers. 121 N Main St, Providence, 2287437; 301 Atwells Ave, 228-3336. LD $-$$
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
Haruki Japanese cuisine and a la carte selections with casual ambience. Locations in Cranston and Providence, HarukiSushi.com. LD $-$$ Iron Works Tavern A wide variety of signature American dishes in the historic Thomas Jefferson Hill Mill. 697 Jefferson Blvd, Warwick, 739-5111. LD $-$$$ Julian’s A must-taste Providence staple celebrating more than 20 years. 318 Broadway, Providence, 861-1770. BBrLD $$
182 ANGELL STREET, PROVIDENCE • 234-9955 • DENDENHOSPITALITY.COM
LaMei Hot Pot Authentic Chinese cuisine in a unique, casual setting. 256 Broadway, Providence, 831-7555. LD $$ Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express Handmade Italian classics and prepared foods to go. 1457 Hartford Ave, Johnston. 455-0045, LuigisGourmet.com. LD $$ Luxe Burger Bar Build Your Own Burger: You dream it, we build it! 5 Memorial Blvd, Providence, 621-5893. LD $ McBride’s Pub Traditional Irish pub fare in Wayland Square. 161 Wayland Ave, Providence, 751-3000. LD $$ McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steak Mixed grill selections and signature fish dishes sourced locally and seasonally. 11 Dorrance St, Providence, 351-4500. BLD $$-$$$ Meeting Street Cafe BYOB eatery with large menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner
Bookworms Unite.
Join us for our monthly book club on the last Monday of every month at 2 p.m. to discuss old classics and new favorites. November’s read: “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Call 401-275-0682 to learn more. Wingate Residences on the East Side (near Eastside Marketplace) One Butler Avenue, Providence, RI | Wingatehealthcare.com East Side Monthly • November 2017 53
RESTAURANT GUIDE For full restaurant profiles, go to ProvidenceOnline.com
served all day. 220 Meeting St, Providence, 273-1066. BLD $-$$ Mill’s Tavern Historic setting for New American gourmet. 101 N Main St, Providence, 272-3331. D $$$ Ocean State Sandwich Company Craft sandwiches and hearty sides. 1345 Hartford Ave, Johnston; 155 Westminster St, Providence, 282-6772. BL $-$$ Parkside Rotisserie & Bar American bistro specializing in rotisserie meats. 76 South Main St, Providence, 331-0003. LD $-$$ Pat’s Italian Fine Italian favorites, natural
steaks and handcrafted cocktails. 1200 Hartford Ave, Johnston, 273-1444. LD $-$$$ Pizza J A fun, upbeat atmosphere with thin-crust pizza, pub fare and gluten-free options. 967 Westminster St, Providence, 632-0555. LD $-$$ Public Kitchen & Bar American food with changing daily specials. 120 Francis St, Providence, 919-5050. BrLD $-$$ Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 437-6950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-2900. BrLD $$
WO RT H T H E D R I V E
Bluewater Bar and Grill
There’s plenty of ways to be charmed by Bluewater Bar + Grill. An East Bay favorite for years, the waterfront restaurant recently unveiled a chic, nautically inspired renovation. Inspired by the seasons, the chefs modify signature dishes a few times a year to highlight fresh-picked
ingredients and daily specials that showcase Bluewater’s farm-to-table commitment. In addition, more vegetarian, gluten-free and healthy options are being added by the creative chef. With a casual atmosphere yet upscale cuisine, a dining experience here is just right.
32 Barton Avenue, Barrington 247-0017, BluewaterGrillRI.com
54
East Side Monthly • November 2017
Rick’s Roadhouse Honest, authentic BBQ with a large selection of whiskey. 370 Richmond St, Providence, 272-7675. LD $-$$ Siena Impeccable Italian cuisine. Locations in Providence, East Greenwich and Smithfield, 521-3311. D $$-$$$ T’s Restaurant Plentiful breakfast and lunch. Locations in Cranston, East Greenwich and Narragansett, TsRestaurantRI.com. BL $ Tavolo Wine Bar and Tuscan Grille Classic Italian cuisine with an extensive wine and beer list. 970 Douglas Pike, Smithfield, 349-4979. LD $-$$ The Grange Vegetarian restaurant serving seasonal dishes with a juice bar, vegan bakery and cocktail bar. 166 Broadway, Providence, 831-0600. BrLD $-$$ The Salted Slate An agri-driven American restaurant with global influences. 186 Wayland Ave, Providence, 270-3737. BrLD $$-$$$ The Village Lively bar and grill with comfort fare, bar bites and beer. 373 Richmond St, Providence, 228-7222. BrLD $-$$ Tortilla Flats Fresh Mexican, Cajun and Southwestern fare, cocktails and over 70 tequilas. 355 Hope St, Providence, 7516777. LD $-$$ Trinity Brewhouse American pub fare and craft beer in a downtown setting, with lunch, dinner and late-night menus. 186 Fountain Street, Providence, 4532337. LD $-$$ Twin Oaks Family restaurant serving an extensive selection of Italian and American staples. 100 Sabra St, Cranston, 781-9693. LD $-$$$ The Vig Contemporary sports bar with craft tavern fare. 21 Atwells Ave,
Breakfast Delivered ALL DAY LONG
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FREE DELIVERY! Serving Wholesome Gourmet Food Since 1984
Meeting Street Cafe
Everything Made In Our Kitchen From Scratch World Famous Cookies
220 Meeting Street, Providence 273-1066 • MeetingStreetCafe.com East Side Monthly • November 2017 55
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RESTAURANT GUIDE Providence, 709-0347. LD $-$$ XO Cafe Acclaimed farm-to-table cuisine with a fantastic Sunday #PajamaBrunch. 125 N Main St, Providence, 273-9090. BrD $$ SOUTHERN RI Breachway Grill Classic New England fare, plus NY-style pizza. 1 Charlestown Beach Rd, Charlestown, 213-6615. LD $$ Chair 5 Locally sourced and seasonally inspired menus with a main restaurant and rooftop lounge. 1208 Ocean Rd, Narragansett, 363-9820. BrLD $-$$$ Champlin’s Seafood Dockside fresh seafood serving easy breezy cocktails. 256 Great Island Rd, Narragansett, 7833152. LD $-$$
56
East Side Monthly • November 2017
Coast Guard House A new American menu with a seafood emphasis and extensive wine list, open seven days a week. 40 Ocean Rd, Narragansett, 789-0700. BrLD $$$ Colvitto’s Pizza & Bakery Pizza Calzones and baked goods made fresh daily. 91 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 783-8086. BrLD $ Dante’s Kitchen American food with Southern flair. 315 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-7798. BL $-$$ Eleven Forty Nine City sophistication in the suburbs. 1149 Division St, Warwick, 884-1149. LD $$$ Frankie’s Italian Bistro Fine dining with imported wines from around the world. 1051 Ten Rod Rd, North Kingstown, 295-
2500. D $-$$$ Fresco Italian American comfort food with international inspirations. 301 Main St, East Greenwich, 398-0027; 140 Comstock Pkwy, Cranston, 228-3901. D $-$$ George’s of Galilee Fresh caught seafood in an upscale pub atmosphere. 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd, Narragansett, 783-2306. LD $-$$ Jigger’s Diner Classic ‘50s diner serving breakfast all day. 145 Main St, East Greenwich, 884-6060. BL $-$$ Maharaja Indian Restaurant Indian cuisine and traditional curries in a warm setting. 1 Beach St, Narragansett, 3639988. LD $-$$ Mariner Grille Seafood, steaks and pasta
Don’t wait! Shows will sell out!
TH E PE R FECT SOLUTION
102 Waterman St., Providence, RI 02906 print@allegraprovidence.com www.allegraprovidence.com
40th AnniverSAry
(401) 421-5160
You + Allegra is the simple solution for a solid and successful partnership. PR IN
print + mail + design
L
web + signs WEB
GN
M
T
AI
SI
nov. 9 – Dec. 31 Tickets start at $25 (401) 351-4242 • TrinityRep.com 201 Washington St., Providence PReSenTed by
SuPPoRTing SPonSoRS
GNS O D
D E SI
PROMO PR
UC TS
SeaSon SPonSoRS PicTuRed: Joe WiLSon, JR.
RESTAURANT GUIDE in a fun setting, with live entertainment. 140 Point Judith Rd, Narragansett, 2843282. LD $$ Pasquale’s Pizzeria Napoletana Authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza with exclusive ingredients imported from Naples. 60 S County Commons Way, South Kingstown, 783-2900. LD $-$$ Phil’s Main Street Grille Classic comfort food with a great rooftop patio. 323 Main St, Wakefield, 783-4073. BBrLD $ Red Stripe Casual French-American bistro. 465 Angell St, Providence, 4376950; 455 Main St, East Greenwich, 3982900. BrLD $$ Siena Impeccable Italian cuisine. Locations in Providence, East Greenwich and Smithfield, 521-3311. D $$-$$$
T’s Restaurant Plentiful breakfast and lunch. Locations in Cranston, East Greenwich, Narragansett, TsRestaurantRI. com. BL $ Tavern by the Sea Waterfront European/ American bistro. 16 W Main St, Wickford, 294-5771. LD $$
historic waterfront setting. 3 Water St, South Dartmouth, 508-999-6975. LD $$ Bluewater Bar and Grill Casual restaurant with modern seafood dishes, patio seating and live music. 32 Barton Ave, Barrington, 247-0017. LD $$-$$$
Twin Willows Fresh seafood and water views in a family-friendly atmosphere. 865 Boston Neck Rd, Narragansett, 789-8153. LD $-$$
Ichigo Ichie Traditional Japanese cuisine, creative sushi and hibachi. 5 Catamore Blvd, East Providence, 435-5511. LD $-$$$
Tong-D Fine Thai cuisine in a casual setting. 156 County Rd, Barrington, 2892998; 50 South County Common Way, South Kingstown, 783-4445. LD $-$$
The Old Grist Mill Tavern Fine dining located over the Runnins River. 390 Fall River Ave, Seekonk, 508-336-8460. LD $-$$$
EAST BAY / NEWPORT Black
Bass
Grille
Classic
seafood,
The Wharf Tavern Serves fresh seafood and steak with bay views from almost every table. 215 Water St, Warren, 2892524. BrLD $-$$$
East Side Monthly • November 2017 57
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November music | performance | galleries
10 Events You Can’t Miss
MUSIC
arena & club | classical ARENA & CLUB COLUMBUS THEATRE November 3: And the Kids, Kalbels, FINE. November 4: The Wood Brothers, Sean McConnell. November 9: An Evening with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. November 10: Obnox, Clox King, XR-Tabs, Vibe Police. November 24: Twice Is Nice – An Acoustic Evening With Deer Tick. November 25: An Evening With David Rawlins. 270 Broadway, Providence. 621-9660, ColumbusTheatre.com
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It’s that time of the year again. Trinity Rep (TrinityRep.com) is putting on its 40th annual production of A Christmas Carol, with actor Joe Wilson Jr. taking on the iconic role of Scrooge. Opens November 9 WaterFire (WaterFire.org) pays tribute to the men and women who serve with a full lighting at the annual WaterFire Salute to Veterans. November 4 Festival Ballet Providence (FestivalBalletProvidence.org) brings artistic director Mihailo Djuric’s Magnificat back to the stage for this month’s Up Close on Hope. November 10-19
The geeks inherit the Earth (or downtown at least) when RI Comic Con (RIComicCon.com) returns, bringing with it some of the biggest names in pop culture. November 10-12
5
Pop icon Janet Jackson is making a stop at the Dunkin Donut Center (DunkinDonutCenter.com) on her 56city State of the World tour. November 17
Work up an appetite the morning of Thanksgiving at the Rhode Island Family Turkey Trot (FamilyTurkeyTrot.com), an annual 5k race starting at Pawtucket City Hall. November 23
Deer Tick is back this month with shows at the Columbus Theatre (ColumbusTheatre.com) and The Met (TheMetRI.com) in support of their two new albums. Columbus, November 24; The Met, November 26 The Little Pictures Show and Sale at the Providence Art Club (ProvidenceArtClub.org) will feature the work of local artists in all mediums, just in time for the holidays. Opening reception November 12
The Providence Art and Design Film Festival (ProvidenceCinemateque. com) returns to highlight the work of artists, makers and curators with eclectic screenings. November 2-12
10
Celebrate 60 years of historic preservation when the Providence Preservation Society (PPSRI.org) throws its Anniversary Gala at historic South Street Landing. November 4
FETE MUSIC HALL November 3: Highly Suspect, DJ Redbees Bones. November 4: Turkuaz, The Suffers. November 9: Mom Jeans, Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Kississippi. November 10: Skeletal Family, The Long Losts. November 18: Ron Gallo, Naked Giants. November 19: Whitechapel, Carnifex, Rings of Saturn, Entheos, So This Is Suffering, Kingsmen, Noxii Arena. 103 Dike Street, Providence. 383-1112, FeteMusic.com THE MET November 4: Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties, Dryjacket, Steady Hands, Chase Huglin. November 5: Kimock. November 8: Citizen Cope. November 9: Token, T. Rads, IC, Stoop Stanch. November 10: Playing Dead. November 11: Hey Nineteen. November 15: Mark Mulcahy, Bird and Horse. November 17: Cousin Stizz. November 18: Emily Saliers, Becky Warren. November 24: Max Creek. November 26: An Evening With Deer Tick. 1005 Main Street, Pawtucket. 729-1005, TheMetRI. com THE STRAND November 1: New Found Glory, ROAM. November 3: Dirty Heads, The Unlikely Candidates, Tyrone’s Jacket. November 4: Parmalee, Kasey Tyndall. November 7: Rodrigo y Gabriela, Marc Scibilia. November 10: Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Car Bomb.
East Side Monthly • November 2017 59
On the Town Calendar
November 18: Squeeze. November 24: Nelson Freitas. November 25: Easton Corbin, Jillian Cardarelli. 79 Washington Street, Providence. TheStrandRI.com
PERFORMANCE
comedy | dance | theatre COMEDY COLUMBUS THEATRE November 5: Cameron Esposito & Rhea Butcher. November 11: Maria Bamford. 270 Broadway, Providence. 621-9660, ColumbusTheatre.com COMEDY CONNECTION November 3: Hardcore Comedy. November 3-4: Ricky Velez. November 10-11: Robert Kelly. November 30: Juston McKinney. 39 Warren Avenue, East Providence. 438-8383, RIComedyConnection.com
EAST SIDE PRIMARY CARE WELCOMES
Dr Daniel Valicenti & Sean Eden PA-C NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS! Same Day Appointments Available
THEATRE Trinity Rep Through November 26: Death of a Salesman. Through November 22: Skeleton Crew. November 9-December 31: A Christmas Carol. 201 Washington Street, Providence. 351-4242, TrinityRep.com The Gamm Theatre November 9-December 10: Incognito. 172 Exchange Street, Pawtucket. 723-4266, GammTheatre.org Wilbury Theatre Group November 2-18: New and Dangerous Ideas. 40 Sonoma Court, Providence. 400-7100, TheWilburyGroup.org Festival Ballet November 10-19: Up Close on Hope. 825 Hope Street, Providence. 353-1129, FestivalBalletProvidence.org
LEARN
East Side Primary Care Providence
1195 North Main Street, Providence • 340-1000 60
East Side Monthly • November 2017
discussion | instruction | tour LADD OBSERVATORY Tuesdays: Telescope observing night. 210 Doyle Avenue. 863-2641, Brown.edu
LIPPITT HOUSE MUSEUM November 18: Behind the Scenes Tour. 199 Hope Street, Providence. 453-0688, Lippitt House.org MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND PLANETARIUM Saturdays and Sundays: Public Planetarium Shows. November 6: Discovery Tykes – Fabulous Fall. November 11: Fall Bird Walk in Roger Williams Park. November 11: Darwing Wild – From the Collection. November 18: Museum of Natural History Community Day. 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. 785-9457, ProvidenceRI.gov/Museum
GALLERIES RISD MUSEUM Through December 3: Altered States: Etching in Late 19th-Century Paris. Through January 7: Line of Thought: From Michelangelo to Now from the British Museum. Through February 4: Stranger than Paradise. 20 North Main Street, Providence. 454-6530, RISDMuseum.org ARTPROV GALLERY Through November 4: Land, Sea, Sky. 150 Chestnut Street, Providence. 641-5182, ArtProvidence.com
RI REG. #3984 MA LIC. #164199 CT #HIC. 0673137
A New Year’s Resolution You’ll Love Start the process today to transform your kitchen in 2018. Schedule a complimentary showroom consultation or attend a free seminar.
Love Your Home, But Not Your Kitchen? Saturday, December 2nd 9:30-11:00am Pre-register at RIKB.com/events
401-463-1550 • 139 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888
FALL 2017
CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS Through November 3: 4th Open Call Exhibition. 118 North Main Street, Providence. ProvidencePhoto.org GALLERY NIGHT PROVIDENCE November 16: Monthly Open Gallery. Various locations. GalleryNight.org GALLERY Z November 2-December 23: Affordable Art. November 16: Affordable Art reception. 259 Atwells Avenue, Providence. 454-8844, GalleryZProv.com PROVIDENCE ART CLUB Through November 8: The Edge of Light; Photographs by Lenny Rumpler; Right Minds Two. November 12: Little Pictures Show and Sale. 11 Thomas Street, Providence. 331-1114, ProvidenceArtClub.org
NUT/CRACKED
The Bang Group with Rhode Island College Dance Company Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 • 7:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall It’s “The Nutcracker,” but definitely not as we know it. The Bang Group has taken this Christmas favorite and torn it limb from limb, mixing Tchaikovsky’s original score with music by Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and others.
Purchase your tickets at www.ric.edu/pas or (401) 456-8144. East Side Monthly • November 2017 61
Business Spotlight
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
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401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org 62
East Side Monthly • November 2017
Living
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Regency Plaza Apartments (401) 861-0400 • Elegantly renovated apartments • Exceptional views • 24-hr concierge
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hiropractic goes way beyond alleviating back and neck pain. Good posture and a healthy spine are the keys to good health. At NORTHEAST CHIROPRACTIC, Dr. Tom Morison specializes in Chiropractic Bio-Physics, the most researched chiropractic technique. He uses his extensive knowledge of the spine and nervous system to alleviate – and often eliminate – back and neck pain, and migraines. Dr. Tom can also make longer term postural corrections, impacting everything from digestion to energy level, and resulting in significantly boosted overall wellness. He can use chiropractic to potentially improve asthma, colic, ear infections, tingling, hypertension, allergies and more. As an additional path to wellness, Northeast Chiropractic offers Ideal Protein Weight Loss, a weight loss system developed by a medical doctor with a PhD in nutrition. The program not only helps you lose weight, but to understand why and how the body gains excess pounds, and how to keep them off once the program has ended. Some of the patients Dr. Tom has worked with have lost over 60lbs. Any doctor can say he’s committed to his patients, but for Dr. Tom, it goes far beyond that. He does extensive additional training, far beyond what’s required, because he wants to provide the best possible care and put his patients on a path to healthier, better lives.
Northeast Chiropractic 187 Waterman Street, Providence 861-1300; WickedGoodPosture.com
Business Spotlight
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
State-of-the-Art Memory Care Assisted Living
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ne of life’s most difficult decisions is how to best care for aging loved ones, especially when those loved ones struggle with progressive memory loss. The professional staff at BRIARCLIFFE GARDENS, a Memory Care Assisted Living Residence tucked in a forested corner of Johnston, knows the stress that families experience as they transition a loved one to a new home. The staff at Briarcliffe Gardens is experienced, compassionate and committed to their many residents. They know what matters most is that family members are loved and cared for. Adults with memory loss often require greater assistance than their peers. Briarcliffe Gardens is designed specifically to address these unique needs. Extra measures have been taken in both the layout of the Garden’s modern and comfortable facilities and in the training required of caregivers. In order to ensure that their Certified Nursing Assistants are properly trained, Briarcliffe Gardens has even launched an on-site CNA training program. Briarcliffe values caregivers who are upbeat, positive, kind, patient and attentive. These attributes are also sought in visitors such as yoga and Tai Chi instructors, Pet Therapists and popular local entertainers. Everything is done with the intent of enriching the lives of the residents. In the words of owner Akshay Talwar: “Every one of our residents, each one of our families, is special.”
Ornamental and Shade Tree Specialists • fine hand pruning • tree preservation • hazard tree removal • tree evaluation & diagnosis • tree planting consultation 331-8527 • tfmorra.com
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729 East Avenue • 401-723-1111 (Top of the East Side, next door to Rite Aid)
New Showroom with Over 400 Scratch & Dent Appliances!
299 Walcott Street, Pawtucket 723.0500 • www.KitchenGuys.com
East Side Monthly • November 2017 63
SERVICE PIONEER BASEMENT
The healthy choice for wet basements, crawl spaces, moisture & air quality control. Foundation repair. Certified. Insured. Reg. #3934. Cell 401215-7985 or 1-800-649-6140.
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High end workmanship. Small jobs a specialty. Call Ron 7513242. Reg. #18128.
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MALIN PAINTING
Most ceiling & wall repairs, wallpaper removal, oil-based & latex finishes, staining, varnishing. Fully insured, Many local references. Safe, secure, fast service. 226-8332. Reg. #19226.
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If you need a house cleaner who is organized, with good prices and excellent references, call
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EAST SIDE HANDYMAN
Repairs, upgrades & renovations. Small jobs welcome. Many East Side references. Insured. Call 524-6421. Reg. #3052
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WANTED PARKING 64
Round Again Records needs your used CDs and records. Cash paid. 351-6292.
PARKING/STORAGE
Benefit St. (north end), Lloyd Ave. (near Elmgrove) & Wayland $95/mo. Call Roger, 3394068. rogernc@mac.com
Repairing all types of Lamps
Standing & Stripping
Vintage Lighting Specialist Chandelier Repairs Serving the East Side for 21 Years
Power Washing
Fences Sheds Houses Walkways Etc. Restainging Oil Latex Semis Epoxys Coating
Free Estimates
East Side References Reg. 3469 Fully Insured 30 yr. in business
Call 944-0336 T & T Painting
Seasoned JOBS BY JIM Firewood $250/cord • $175/half Serving the East Side for over 20 years!
Cellars & Attics Cleaned Unwanted Removed Estate Cleaning
Call cell 401-742-7258 Reg. #4614
(Free Devlivery)
Power Raking Hammering Augering Free Estimates
Vinny’s Landscaping
& BOBCAT SERVICES
Call 497-1461
The Finest in New England Craftmanship
General Home Repair, including Kitchens,Baths, Decks & Additions Reg. # 22013
Michael Packard • (401) 441-7303
retirement medicare 101
USED MUSIC WANTED!
Old, used and almost new. Also photography, art, etc. jcminich1@gmail.com 286-9329.
Carpentry Repairs
Levine Painting Co., Inc. Boreal Remodeling
BEYOND THE PALE
I BUY BOOKS
the Holidays! Deck Sheds Porches Fence Corrections
401-831-8693
David Onken Painting
Spruce Up For
We Make Housecalls!!!
www.ChrisLampRepair.com
Complete Plumbing & Heating Service
Providence
CHRIS’ LAMP REPAIR
Fully Insured
ask for Lee. Please leave a messgae
DOROTHY’S CLEANING We clean your home as our own! References & free estimates. 401-524-7453 or 401-228-6273. HOUSE CLEANING Experienced. Local references. Free estimates. Call Lilly, 401-419-2933.
House Cleaning
Finding the right medicare option for you
We Specialize in painting & carpentry
Jeffery G. Brier CLU, ChFC, CASL
Experts in Water Problems
Brier & Brier
From Roofs, Gutters & Basements Over 20 years of experience on historical homes Certified Lead Renovated LRM #0514 RI Reg #7320 • Fully insured GEt it donE! Call today! Call Al Medina (401) 438-8771 or (401) 323-8252
East Side Monthly • November 2017
Insurance and Employee Benefits
81 S. Angell Street, Providence RI 02906 401-751-2990 • jbrier@brier-brier.com
Leasing J Sales
www.PilotRI.us
REAL ESTATE
info@PilotRI.us (401) 527-4690
East East Side Side Condo Condo
Beautiful, 2 &bed & 1Pretty bath!hardwood Pretty Beautiful, 2 bed 1 bath! floors throughout! Updated kitchen w/ hardwood floors throughout! maple cabinets & full updated bath! Large Updated kitchen w/maple cabinets living room & large bedrooms! Cute breakfast nook! Laundry privateliving storage & full updated bath!&Large room in basement. Professional mgmt. & large bedrooms! Cute 2 room car assigned parking. Great commuter location. Easy highway access. & Enjoy this breakfast nook! Laundry private lovely penthouse! $159,900 storage room in basement.
Kate Foster Real Professional mgmt. 2 car Estate assigned parking. Great commuter location. 401-477-6314 Easy highway access. Enjoy this DINNER/COCKTAIL PARTY? lovely penthouse! $159,900
MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES
Professional Chef services Kate Foster Real Estate available. Excellent references.401-477-6314 Call 401-219-6375
KIND CARE ~ SENIORS
Appointments, errands, shopping, cleaning & maint. Refs. Safety bars installed. Reg #3052. 559-0848.
Learn to swim at the JCC!
LEATHERWORKS, LLC
A leather and vinyl restoration company. We specialize in furniture, automobiles, boats and aircrafts. Call 837-0548 or visit LeatherWorksRI.com.
AUDIO/VIDEO HELP
If you need help with your TV, home theater or stereo, call Jon Bell, 383-4102. Simply Sight & Sound. Reasonable rates. 30 years experience.
Your child can learn to swim with our comprehensive & result driven swim method that stresses water safety... Parents love it and kids do too!
PROPERTY MANAGER
Available. On call 24/7. Rent collection. Rentals, evictions, maintenance. 421-0092. Advertise in the
Service Directory for as low as
$15! Go to
EastSideMonthly.com/Marketplace OR SueH@RhodyBeat.com to reserve your space
All are welcome!
For more information contact our Aquatics Office at 401.421.4111 ext. 162 or LKSA@jewishallianceri.org or visit jewishallianceri.org/LennyKSwim.
Dwares Rhode Island
In the heart of Providence’s East Side: 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence East Side Monthly • November 2017 65
EAST SIDER By Amanda M. Grosvenor Jason Wright and Latha Sivaprasad
A Family of Doctors Puts Down East Side Roots
66
East Side Monthly • November 2017
the feel of the community. It’s very friendly and easy to assimilate.” Taking their young son on daily evening walks around Thayer Street and the Brown campus to visit his favorite landmarks (like the Big Blue Bear statue) has become a beloved family ritual. Sivaprasad is also an associate professor at Brown’s medical school and serves on the boards of the RI Women’s Medical Association and StyleWeek Northeast. Both boards have been a source of community and many Women’s Medical Association board members also live on the East Side. “I’m the first female CMO since the hospital opened in 1863, so I wanted to get to know the female physician community,” says Sivaprasad. “Some board members date back decades, so there’s a lot of wisdom in the generations that gets imparted.”
Sivaprasad and Wright both appreciate classical house designs; their 1905 home is, in fact, featured in an H.P. Lovecraft story and is sometimes a stop on Lovecraft tours. “We like the idea that there have been children raised in the house and all of the good karma that brings,” Sivaprasad says. “And we get to create our own memories now.”
If you had one wish to enhance life on the East Side, what would it be? Sivaprasad: “I know everyone’s lives are busy on the East Side, but if there was a way to develop more rituals in the neighborhood, that would be on my wish list.” Wright: “Better publicly funded schools.”
Photography by Mike Braca
Dr. Latha Sivaprasad and her husband Dr. Jason Wright relocated to Providence from New York City four years ago, first living downtown before purchasing a house on Prospect Street. “We had a baby about two years ago, and we were running out of space,” says Sivaprasad, who is senior vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Wright is a gynecologic oncologist. “Jason and I have lived in city co-ops and apartments for the more than 20 years we’ve been together; being close to a college campus and innovative energy is what really attracted us to the East Side.” She likes East Siders’ collective sense of advocacy and homegrown efforts to keep the area safe. “There are lots of activities that are family- and kid-friendly here,” Wright continues. “There are great restaurants and shops, and we really like
N E W P ORT
NARRAGANSETT
PROVIDENCE
BARRINGTON
J A M E S TO W N
WATC H H I L L
BRISTOL
NAYATT PT. WATERFRONT | WEB ID: 1155117 $2,995,000 | 401.274.1644
POPPASQUASH PT. | WEB ID: 1172163 $5,750,000 | 401.848.2101
EAST SIDE - WAYLAND SQUARE
BARRINGTON - HAMPDEN MEADOWS 4-BEDROOMS | FENCED-IN YARD SOLD: $532,000 | 401.274.1644
2-BED CONDO | WEB ID: 1164800 $699,900 | 401.274.1644
SOLD
WATERFRONT | CONTEMPORARY SOLD: $775,000 | 401.274.1644
SOLD
SOLD BARRINGTON - NAYATT PT.
B LO C K I S L A N D
EAST SIDE - WATERMAN CONDO WAYLAND SQUARE | 3-BEDROOMS SOLD: $435,000 | 401.274.1644
SOLD
BRISTOL - STONE HARBOUR
EAST SIDE - COLLEGE HILL
BRISTOL - POPPASQUASH PT.
WATERFRONT CONDO | WEB ID: 1144364 $925,000 | 401.848.2101
2-BED PENTHOUSE | GAMMELL HOUSE SOLD: $740,500 | 401.274.1644
WATERFRONT W/ DOCK | WEB ID: 1170599 $2,399,000 | 401.789.6666
EAST SIDE - NATHANIEL SMITH HOUSE
DOWNTOWN | WEB ID: 1163146 $375,000 | 401.274.1644
2-3 BEDROOM CONDO | HISTORIC SOLD: $349,900 | 401.274.1644
PROVIDENCE
SOLD
SOLD
PROVIDENCE - WATERPLACE
BRISTOL - BRISTOL HIGHLANDS 3-BEDROOMS | WEB ID: 1173179 $829,000 | 401.848.2101
369 SOUTH MAIN ST
PROVIDENCE - MONOHASSETT MILL WEST SIDE | LOFT STYLE CONDO SOLD: $308,000 | 401.274.1644
401.274.1644
* #1 LUXURY RANKING BASED ON HIGHEST TOTAL DOLLAR VOLUME OF THE TOP 10 HOME SALES IN THE STATE OF RI FOR 2016. ALL REPRESENTATIONS IN THIS PRESENTATION ARE BASED IN WHOLE OR IN PART ON DATA SUPPLIED BY THE STATEWIDE MLS. THE MLS DOES NOT GUARANTEE AND IS NOT IN ANY WAY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS ACCURACY. DATA MAINTAINED BY THE MLS MAY NOT REFLECT ALL REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY IN THE MARKET.
94 Congdon Street East Side of Providence $1,450,000 401.274.6740
652 Angell Street East Side of Providence $699,000 401.274.6740
See the Video at 94Congdon.com
48 Lloyd Avenue East Side of Providence $985,000 401.274.6740
Barrington Cumberland East Greenwich Narragansett Providence Relocation
401.245.9600 401.333.9333 401.885.8400 401.783.2474 401.274.6740 800.886.1775
#1 in RI homes sold in 2015 & 2016 pbn book of lists
(Providence Business News)
361 Elmgrove Avenue East Side of Providence $499,900 401.274.6740
14 Rhode Island Avenue East Side of Providence $659,000 401.274.6740
260 Brown Street East Side of Providence $549,000 401.274.6740
585 Elmgrove Avenue East Side of Providence $825,000 401.274.6740