History

(from ProvPlan/PPS) 3 Steeple Street is a three-story brick structure with a hipped roof and is the oldest industrial building in Providence, and, after Slater Mill in Pawtucket, the oldest industrial building in the state of Rhode Island. The building features stone sills and lintels and brick bracketing at the cornice line. 5 Steeple Street is three-stories high, with dentils under the roof and a recessed entry at the street level. This is the original building that housed the firm that later moved to Promenade Street.

The building is attached at the rear to the George and Smith Owen Building of 1847 (9 Steeple Street), a three-and-a-half-story brick building with a gable roof with an impressive monitor roof, designed to maximize the amount of light in the building. It has stone sills and flat lintels, as well as rectangular double hung windows, and a recessed entry door at the corner. The building at 9 Steeple Street was built as a jewelry factory and it is the oldest of its type in Providence.

Joseph Congdon founded this iron stock company in 1792, originally to supply blacksmiths. However, there was also a decent market to be found in the making of firearms, tools, maritime and farming implements, and the like. They also expanded into retail, selling hardware, horse supplies, and coach equipment. The company found great success during the Civil War, as the demand for many different types of iron and steel rose. During this time the company supplied many of the producers of hoops and bands, caulking steel, and horseshoes.

After the Civil War, more space was needed so Congdon & Carpenter moved one block north, to the corner of Canal and Elizabeth streets; this building has since been demolished. The buildings at 3 and 9 Steeple Street are now home to several restaurants and small businesses. The building that today is 3 Steeple Street was Congdon & Carpenter’s first warehouse. A restaurant called “3 Steeple Street” occupies the building today. Standing at the foot of College Hill, these two buildings are located at an early node of industrial activity in Providence; nearby stood the original buildings of Brown and Sharpe and Gorham Manufacturing (Woodward 1986; RIHPHC 1981)

Anecdotes

Michael of the Spiked Forest Mar 12, 2008 I remember playing gigs at this location. One Mr. Hymers would pay us in drinks. Cheers. Gene Severns R.I.P.

tabs 03-10-2008 Hopefully the people that bought the building will respect and honor the integrity of the building. The landlord that owned it before wasn’t interested in restoring the building, he was more interested in band-aides and collecting rent. The optimist in me sees a postive change where the building is protected for the longhaul...

Paul Dechichio 02-25-2008 I owed Cathartic Records which was the last record store to occupy the space that was Fast Forward, Contrast, and More Than Music; then became Summer Camp after I left. This was a great building. Sadly it is now an empty shell with nothing inside except the restaurants on the first floor and an used clothing store on the second floor (where Atlas Bower Books was). I miss this everyday. RIP 5 Steeple St.

Bob Eggleton 9 Steeple Street, right on the corner, circa 1986-90 was the location of an Art supply store called Bryan Clegg Art Supply. Both of us used to work for a store called Oakes on The Hill up the hill on Thomas St, I was let go in 1983 and went on with my career, he was let go in 1986 after being there for many years, and opened his own business, and Oakes subsequently collapsed as a business, and Bryan’s place took over selling stuff to RISD students. Because of space issues and rent, Bryan moved next to Fains (South Main Street) and later, thanks to the RISD Store getting fairly re-organized, Byran went out of business around, 1992/93 as I recall.

Joan d’Arc Frank Difficult and I ran the bookstore Newspeak and the video store Obsidian video on the second floor from 1994 to 1998. Obsidian was there probably through 2000. In the picture above you can see the sign Books Video. Currently (2007) that sign says 1793 Shoppe. It’s now a vintage clothing store. David Golden has just sold the building and terrible things are going to happen there now because they’ll probably turn it into condos!

Martin The building was sold to Capitol Properties in November of 2007. All of the artists and musicians are being evicted to make way for the company’s new corporate headquarters. It’s a shame. The people who reside there really love that building. I should know.

Dan G  One Up was still open in February 02, because that’s where we stumbled after the Pats won the super bowl. Hymers is a legend and One Up, The Safari, and the Decatur Lounge are places that will never be replaced in my heart. Fast Forward was a great record store and many an afternoon was spent in there and In Your Ear, especially circa 94-96 when I was in high school.

Laurie  I bartended at One Up on the 2nd floor of 3 Steeple Street for about 10 years during the 1990s and early 2000s. Really met a lot of great people there too! We had some fun times, especially when the local bands played on Saturday nights! (Thanks to Hymers :)

Heather A.  I seem to remember a bar above 3 Steeple called One Up. I played a lot of pool there in the early 90’s. I wonder if it is still there? (AIR: The One Up was my favorite bars in Providence until it closed in 2002. Punk kids and RISD students and guys in business suits all shared pitchers on the second floor; the pool was free but the table was wacky; and open mic night was hit or miss, usually a whole electric band would set up to play two or three death metal songs)

Jef Choice  New Rivers suffered a small kitchen fire in April 2007. Not soon after, Summercamp’s rent was raised and its final day will be May 30th, 2007.

Ron Marinick  I was co owner of Fast Forward records and lived and worked in 5 Steeple for 6 or so years. My Daughter who is 12 now lived her first 6 years in that distinctive building. A singular experience. She has fond memories of her time there.

Vanessa Appleby  Steeple Street is not only inhabitied by a restaurant, but a tattoo parlor, and several apartments of young artists and musicians. The building is now tenderly referred to as “Summer Camp”.

Julie  My Dad ran a restaurant their called Armondos’ with a lounge upstairs called 3 steeple street. My uncle ran a bar before that called Crystal Tap… This was in the 60’s .

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