For a forum discussion on the Trolley Barn, starting with the small arson in May and ongoing, visit www.urbanplanet.com

A video taken inside the Trolley Barn can be found here. (Large file)

6/1/2005 – Victim of a Preservationist

Following my letter to the editor (see below), I received a phone call from an irate J. Paolino, Jr. insisting that he is indeed a preservationist. But in all candor, he told me that he acquired the building with the intention of reusing it with a state office, a contract that never materialized. So the building sat. I did originally contact Paolino Properties in April of 2003 and spoke with Allen Peteruto of Brewery Parkade, a subsidiary of Paolino Properties, and was told that if JP, Jr. wanted our help, he’d follow up. Needless to say, there was no follow up.

In subsequent discussions with JP, Jr., I again offered Preserve RI’s help in finding a use for the building and was told to direct my efforts to the Governor’s office. JP, Jr. had also informed me that although a demolition permit was being sought, it would be about a month before actual demolition would begin. To that end, I knew we had a very short window of opportunity in which to act. PRI sent a letter to the Governor, co-signed by our Board Chair, and also to the Director of Administration and to Chair of the State Properties Committee urging them to consider reusing the Trolley Barn as the new home for the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Sadly, they never had a chance to consider my request because demolition on the building began on 5/31, the day the demolition permit was issued.

– Janet Zwolinski, Preserve RI

A Plea to the Paolinos

May 6, 2005 – Yet another of Rhode Island's great historic buildings has fallen victim to a torching. This time it was not a mill but the venerable Cranston Trolley Barn, a former warehouse of Rhode Island's own Narragansett Brewery. The building has been on Preserve Rhode Island's radar since the City of Cranston condemned it, in 2003.

It was then that I contacted Paolino Properties, the owners, to remind them of the state historic-preservation tax credit for rehabilitating buildings. It provides developers with a refund of up to 30 percent of their rehab costs, in the form of a state income-tax credit. When it's coupled with the federal preservation tax credit, developers can be eligible for a 50-percent tax credit.

We at Preserve Rhode Island also offered Paolino Properties help in finding a new use or a new owner for the building.

Our offer was not pursued.

Despite the fire damage done to the Trolley Barn, the preservation tax credit remains available to facilitate the reuse of this historic building – and any other historic properties Paolino Properties may have. A building is too far gone to be rehabilitated only when it ceases to exist, which is what Paolino Properties may ultimately have in store for the Trolley Barn. The tax credit makes such projects feasible, as well as bigger “white elephants,” such as the Masonic Temple.

We again offer our assistance in finding a new use or new owner for the Trolley Barn. Time is of the essence when dealing with vacant or dilapidated historic properties. Communities need to put pressure on developers to reuse their local landmarks, and not let them sit idle until they become dangerous liabilities. The cost, both monetarily and to our sense of place, is great.

– Janet Zwolinski, Preserve RI

history

The 108,000-square-foot structure sat on about 6.9 acres and is owned by former Providence Mayor Joseph Paolino Jr's company. It was built in 1900 as a trolley barn and later became a warehouse for the neighboring Narragansett Brewery, which Paolino also owned and razed in favor of the Cranston Parkade shopping center.

Anecdotes

Alicia Clark  I grew up in Cranston, my dad drove a truck for B&B transportation, who hauled for the brewery. I haven’t been “home” in years, and these pictures of the decaying barn made me cry a little. It was such a wonderful building. There used to be tunnels that lead to the brewery across the street. This was so they could send the beer on conveyor belts to be loaded on horse drawn carts… many many years ago, and not be seen because, according to my dad, The Internal Revenue Service granted the brewery a permit to brew, bottle and sell beer and malt liquor for medicinal purposes during Prohibition. The beer had to be sold on the brewery’s premises. Sales could be in a quantity of one gallon at a time and a prescription was required. So, they would bring the beer under ground and load it onto “ice trucks” to be delivered, illegally, else where.
   At one time, the grounds of the Narragansett Brewing Company included a barn, a stable, a blacksmith, 75 horses, 45 wagons, gas-powered trucks, electric trucks, 25 refrigerated train cars and its own ice plant. In later years, the property was home to 29 buildings, over 660,000 square feet of parking space, a small airstrip, a seven-acre pond and some 40 acres of undeveloped land. Beer was big business!

rob  Brilliant work folks. You should be commended for preserving the memories of these venerable historical structures. They are the old Rhode Island, the community where people lived, prayed, worked, and passed from this life. All we have now is the bloodsucking Paolinos who care only about money as they buy and sell in a satanic enterprise which will leave nothing more than a Kafka-esque nightmarish monochrome kalaidescope of prefabricated upscale housing and further “gentrification.” Thanks for taking one more thing from the people Paolino. God’s curse on you!

Steve Micke  I am greatful to all of you who havw entered your thoughts here and on the other sites linked to this site. I am an avid researcher of historical facts, and the one thing that bothers me is that more people do not regard history as a foundation of our present but they regard history more as just a stepping stone to bigger and “better” things. While I will admit that an electric mixer makes whipping potatoes a lot easier, KI still enjoy using and old fashioned crank drive mixer my grandmother use to use. Why must we destroy the Mom and Pop corner store so that mass retailers like Walmart and Stop and Shop can build over sized, intimidating gargantuan buildings which just take up more and more open space. The site of the Main building of the Narragansett Brewery ( Lets not forget that at one time there was also a race track where car manufacturers would bring their newest models and race for bragging rights.) which now houses a shopping center with Stop and Shop and Kmart as the anchor stores, could have had so much more to offer. How about a museum of work and culture similar to that in the northern part of the state which could have paid homage to those who made the Narragansett Brewery an icon for Rhode Island, which could have been the central focal point of a new state park with athletic facilities and walking tracks. But the almighty dollar and the dollar signs in the eyes of J. Paolino take precedent. I realize that I may be rambling on but my dismay and distaste for people who have no regard for history and feel that we should shun the past and only support a future which cuts all ties to our past gets the best of me. I hope that we do not someday have to once again learn how to build a world from soil and trees, rather I would prefer to learn how those that did before us did it and try to maintain what they have given us instead of tearing it down. (one last note: It is land owners like J. Paolino who cause great historical landmarks such as the Brewery to fall into disrepar and allow them to get into a state of no return.)

Matt Coleman My grandfather worked there for 40 years. He’s 94 now and I still ask for stories of the old days at Narragansett brewery. When he had to move from his local residence 10 years ago, I asked to keep old wooden crates that were used and beer cases before cardboard was utilized. I also framed a 5' x4' (foot) picture that must have been a poster in the mangers area. it shows lobsters, beer, clams, and other local delicacies.

CD  J. Paolino Jr. is a liar of the worst kind. His m.o. is greed.

Mark Hellendrung  They may have torn down the brewery, but we’re bringing the beer back! www.narragansettbeer.net

Dan Sheppard  I had the privilege to explore this place when it was used as a warehouse by the brewery. I’m in advertising, and produced the last TV commercial every shot for Narragansett Beer in 1983. It happend that we needed Narragansett Beer bar glasses for the commercial, and John MacNabo (sp), the brewery president, took me into the barn where they stored all the beer advertising paraphenalia. It was pretty cavernous, and most of it was unused by then. We took the last 8 gold-rimmed Narragnasett beer glasses out of that place, and used them for the shoot. I still have 4 of them.
   We used to meet regularly in the main brewery building, in the BrewMaster’s room, which was an ornate, dark-panelled Germanesque room with a large, leather-covered conference room table in the center. At one end of the oval table, 3 draught handles stood at attention. You had your choice (yes, even at a 9 am meeting) of fresh-tapped Narragansett Lager, porter (which was really good), or ale. It’s a shame the whole place wasn’t put on the national register. It was a real piece of history.

Roland  Why do we tie our emotions so tightly to the buildings and landmarks of our past? Because our past is what makes us New Englanders.
   We ache inside to see this decaying trolley barn come down because no one cared enough to preserve our past, to remember that new is not always the best and to remind us that our existence in life has so little meaning to our unknown neighbors.
   Mention the pyramid structure of the Apex building in Pawtucket and a few hundred thousand people will nod in unison.
   Does everyone remember that commercial in the 70’s where it shows an Indian with a tear running down his face and as the camera backs away it shows a polluted stream? Our waterways are now cleaner because of the EPA and Superfund money. We need to have that Indian make the same commercial next to the trolley barn as it’s coming down. Perhaps it’ll have the same effect.
   My heart is tearing apart seeing those pictures.....

Than  Some friends and I filmed a short movie in the brewery a few years back, ping pong club it was called. While we were in there, some little punks were screaming at us and tagging their shitty scriggles over some amazing graffitti on the walls. Man those kids sucked.

Anyways, we had a ping pong table set up for the film, and one of the kids comes stumbling into the room we were in during filming and collapses on the table. He had a broken wrist, so that the back of his hand could bend all the way back to his arm. Man, I hate to say he had it coming, but… Anyways, he had fallen like 30 feet inside. Not through rotting floor or anything, just being careless. His friends wanted to run away, the little pansies. But we made them call for an ambulance, and firemen came with the ambulance.

We were going to high tail it out of there, but one of the girls in our group knew the fireman or something, so they werent pissed at us for being in there. When we saw that kid again he wouldnt talk to us. What a lil shit!

AJM  I am a 12 year old urban explorer who lives in Cranston and is SHOCKED to hear that this place is coming down in May 2005, to make room for a new police center. I have visited this building several times and even seen the interior. The archetexture is very intricate in the brickwork and as much as it is indeed decaying, it is an amazing place. My dad tells us how he used to be able to take tours of the brewery complex and how my late grandfather used to enjoy ‘Gansett Beer. All I can say is farewell and bon voyage to this landmark.

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.