New Proposal

The hotel would be incorporated into two 19th century buildings, the Lederer Building at 139 Mathewson, and the former Bell Hall dormitory of Johnson & Wales University, at 317-319 Westminster, which form an L around Grace Park. An attached building that went up in the 1990s and embraces Grace Park at the corner of Mathewson and Westminster would also be used. The owner/developer is Stanley Weiss, and the architects are the Newport Collaborative Architects.

All plans have passed city and Downcity District Design Review boards. The Building Board of Review also gave plans the nod, and waived some regulations in order for the project to go through.

Weiss has a loan commitment from Bank RI to pay a large part of the $7.1 million construction cost. And the Downcity Partnership, a subsidiary of the Rhode Island Foundation, has strongly considered a loan, too. The project may also rely on historical rehabilitation tax credits available from the state and federal governments to raise cash for the project. A loan guarantee from a semi-autonomous state agency called the Rhode Island Industrial-Recreational Building Authority would figure into the financing.

Providence has a program of tax breaks for Downcity that arose from the conviction that the long-vacant commercial buildings in the district will never be rehabilitated unless the city gives developers a helping hand. Under the tax break for Hotel Providence would save an estimated $409,000 in real-estate and tangible taxes over 10 years. Tangibles include fixtures, furnishings and equipment. The city, however, would reap $500,000 in real-estate and tangible taxes over that period, which is probably more than it would receive from those properties if the project was not built and they stayed virtually empty. And the city would get a share of the state hotel tax. When the 10 years are up, the hotel would pay full property taxes.

All the supporters say the hotel would be a catalyst that would hasten the redevelopment of Downcity and the arts and entertainment district. Its scheduled opening is June 2004.

The city thinks it needs more hotel rooms to attract convention business, and Hotel Providence's 77 rooms would address that need. The hotel would have 14 extended-stay suites, and it would feature 6,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 2,200-square-foot ballroom, and a fitness center. Original paintings would hang in each guest room, which would have what architect Jay Litman called "European-style bathrooms" with marble stall showers and pedestal sinks.

Our two cents

We say good for them, glad they are reusing another building downtown, but why does Providence need more hotels? We have heard rumors that the commitee that runs the state-funded convention center barely even tries to get conventions into the city. Is that because of this supposed hotel shortage, or is it because the center is paid for with city money, and they don't feel like working hard to pay the city back? And again, this project and all the ones around it will have to deal with parking. We hope developers remember the arts "Renaisance" that brought all this interest to the city in the first place, but we feel like they have all already forgotten.

Add your Anecdotes

The information about each building grows as visitors let us know about their experiences. Did you or a member of your family work here? Did you grow up near it as a child? Let us know. All entries will be moderated and may be posted in an edited form. We will use your name unless you tell us otherwise. We will not make your email public.