Providence awarded for housing program

[Cotuit]

Housing program earns accolades for Providence

The National Community Development Association honors the city for rehabilitating old homes in Elmwood and converting them to affordable housing.

BY KAREN A. DAVIS Journal Staff Writer | January 31, 2005

PROVIDENCE -- The city recently received a national award for its support of a renovation project that preserved historic homes by turning them into affordable housing.

Mayor David N. Cicilline recently accepted in Washington, D.C., the firstTerrence R. Duvernay HOME Program Award, given by the National Community Development Association.

The award recognizes the Melrose Preservation Project, which rehabilitated historic homes in Elmwood and converted them to 47 units of affordable housing.

The project, led by the Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services, was in partnership with the city's Department of Planning and Development and the Providence Preservation Society Revolving Fund.

At a celebration last year, coordinators of the revitalization project said it was completed as a result of contributions by private and public agencies, including the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Rhode Island Housing & Mortgage Finance Corporation.

Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services officials noted that the project succeeded in transforming dilapitated Victorians and carriage houses into safe, affordable housing for working families.

The National Community Development Association, in giving the city the award, described the project as an "exemplary affordable housing project."

Providence was among 17 communities nationwide to receive the award. Other recipients included Brookline, Mass.; Austin, Texas, and Newport News, Va.

The award is named in memory of a past president of the HOME Program and a strong advocate for affordable housing programs.

Cicilline said the city has spent the last two years attempting to make affordable housing a reality by supporting renovation projects during a period of rising housing costs.

In addition to the practical goal of creating much-needed housing for families, Cicilline has said such projects also serve to strengthen neighborhoods, preserve Elmwood's rich historic character and improve the quality of life.

From The Providence Journal

[eltron]

Just a few photos to go with the article....(I know the project well, as I was one of the project managers for it).

The project ended up with 44 units of affordable rentals in 12 buildings, and 5 historic houses (11 units total) sold to first time homebuyers.

Some before and afters:

[Cotuit]

Wow, those are excellent.

You figured out the photos thing quick.

[eltron]

Another award for the Adelaide Avenue Revitalization Project...this one's big!

Two City Projects Win Housing Award

PROVIDENCE -- The Boston Society of Architects recently listed two affordable-housing developments in Providence among eight of the nation's most socially responsible projects..

The architectural group gave the John M. Clancy Award for Socially Responsible Housing to the Adelaide Avenue Neighborhood Revitalization project, in lower South Providence, and the Friendship-Pine/ Providence-Tanner Block Revitalization project, in upper South Providence.

Adelaide was also recently awarded Bronze in RI Monthly's Annual Design Awards for urban planning.

[MikeR]

Wow, those are excellent.

You figured out the photos thing quick.

Here Here! Providence has an excellent Victorian heritage. Let's hope we see more preservation projects like this one!

[HartfordTycoon]

That's excellent work you guys did there. Whoever was involved should be very proud of this accomplishment.