DESTROYED: Providence Fruit & Produce Warehouse

[Cotuit]

Now I realize that areas around railroad tracks aren't exactly like Commonwealth avenue Boston, but that place was a real bad image for those riding Amtrak into Providence. Aside from its historical significance, I really gave a bad impression of Providence as you come in on the train. People from out of town probably saw that and came to the conclusion that the city hadn't improved its image from the Providence they knew as kids. At least this exposed the 903 a little more.

[jencoleslaw]

Honest to Cod, you people. Up until a few years ago it was still being used as a produce warehouse! its not like its been 50 years of decay for people to complain about. If you can just try to wrap your head around the giant screwing the state, and the city both got and gave in allowing this building to moulder and be demolished you might realise that regardless of its shape or size it was a working piece of the city's economy!

You know, for how many decades did the Masonic Temple just sit there like a giant pile of crap? It was NEVER useful. Everyone saying how impossible it would be to restore it, and use it for something? And yet, it is now a fancy hotel with a hipster bar that many UPers visit on a regular basis!

We have a world-renowned design school within spitting distance of the Produce Warehouse and all anyone can say is "it was too hard to restore." That's just bullsh*t. Developers and scumbag lawyers like Carp and TPG and others are just lazy bums who want to exhort as much money they can out of a project and don't give a rat's ass about Providence.

I am often so discouraged by how quickly many forget about that, and instead get all dewy eyed about the possibilities that could go there. I guess the reluctance to ever look back is one of the reasons these developers so easily get away with tearing down the city's historic structures.

Now I realize that areas around railroad tracks aren't exactly like Commonwealth avenue Boston, but that place was a real bad image for those riding Amtrak into Providence. Aside from its historical significance, I really gave a bad impression of Providence as you come in on the train. People from out of town probably saw that and came to the conclusion that the city hadn't improved its image from the Providence they knew as kids. At least this exposed the 903 a little more.

[TheAnk]

I agree nothing changes the fact that we got screwed out of 10 million.. Its disgusting.. There better be legal action or Cicilline can forget about the progress of changing the back room "culture" here..

But aside from that.. It, from a complete neophyte's view, looks pretty unusable to me.. I'm no engineer, no design guy.. Just a practical guy who looks at something and tries to see what can work.. I don't think I'm exaggerating, the ceilings are like 6' high.. It was kind of surprising..

[Cotuit]

I'm no engineer, no design guy..

[foxpointer]

Been in there a couple of times as part of the DOT RFP. Ceilings were pretty high, actually. The door heights and the long awning made it seem fairly squat from the outside. While I'd agree the building was a tough nut to crack, I think a similar facadectomy approach (done large-scale at Masonic and somewhat smaller scale at The Plant) would have been highly workable here. Not chaep, but workable.

[ruchele]

Oh Oh!!! You should send your resume to the city!

[Garris]

If you can just try to wrap your head around the giant screwing the state, and the city both got and gave in allowing this building to moulder and be demolished you might realise that regardless of its shape or size it was a working piece of the city's economy!

[ruchele]

I was just listening to Weekend Edition on NPR and there was a piece about architechtural preservation and the challenges to it. Here's the quote that caught my ear the most: "Under our form of capitalism, developers bribe city officials to have historic buidings condemned and to get permits to demolish them. This is the greatest threat to our city's architectural heritage." The city being profiled was St. Petersburg, Russia.

[JimmyGreaves]

From the Committee on Public Works Agenda:

Where: Committee Room "A" - City Hall

When: January 29th @ 6:00PM

Petition from Moses Afonso Jackvony, Ltd., 170 Westminster Street, Suite 201, Providence, RI 02903 on behalf of Carpionato Properties, Inc. requesting to abandon a portion of Harris Avenue.

[Cotuit]

I believe this would be for them to realign the end of Harris Ave., which I support in theory:

But not for a FVCKING surface parking lot!

My proposal:

ETA: That rendering on top from Carp. is from over a year ago when they were still giving lip service to rehabbing the building. They've recently been 'quoted' as saying they have no plans for big box stores here.

My drawing is from around the same time and also theorizes saving the building. The hotel in my drawing comes from a rumor that was floating about that a new Holiday Inn would be going in this location.

[jencoleslaw]

From the Committee on Public Works Agenda:

Where: Committee Room "A" - City Hall

When: January 29th @ 6:00PM

Pretty sure this has not been reviewed by CPC, so I would have to assert that it is not appropriate for Public Works to be voting on this.

http://www2.sec.state.ri.us/omfiling/pdffi.../2008/51998.pdf

[JimmyGreaves]

i don't remember seeing it but i'm sure it is because they figured out some loop hole to avoid CPC.

[jencoleslaw]

Certainly puts the cart before the horse. Why abandon a street for a project that has not been approved by CPC?

[TheAnk]

I have no idea how these things work, zoning, etc. But why can't the parking be put under RT 95 and under that over pass exit 22C thing? Cotuit, that triangle parcel is maybe not usuable for a hotel.. its tiny..

[Cotuit]

Cotuit, that triangle parcel is maybe not usuable for a hotel.. its tiny..

[Sam H]

i don't know much about this, but i think it would be better to build something that creates jobs rather than another hotel. not that it will probably happen anyway

[jencoleslaw]

i don't know much about this, but i think it would be better to build something that creates jobs rather than another hotel. not that it will probably happen anyway

[runawayjim]

i don't know much about this, but i think it would be better to build something that creates jobs rather than another hotel. not that it will probably happen anyway

[Sam H]

hotels create a good amount of jobs.

[runawayjim]

that's true but i mean something like an office building...something that could cause people to move to the city

[jencoleslaw]

that's true but i mean something like an office building...something that could cause people to move to the city

[Frankie811]

With demolition under way at the Harris Avenue food and produce terminal, Carpionato Properties is moving ahead with the early steps of its plan to erect a major office, retail and hotel development at the site.

[runawayjim]

With demolition under way at the Harris Avenue food and produce terminal, Carpionato Properties is moving ahead with the early steps of its plan to erect a major office, retail and hotel development at the site.

[Cotuit]

They sure are moving along fast now that they've received their "Emergency Demolition Permit."

[coleslaw]

With demolition under way at the Harris Avenue food and produce terminal, Carpionato Properties is moving ahead with the early steps of its plan to erect a major office, retail and hotel development at the site.