Barker and Barker Jewelry

About this Property

#Last Tenant

From the description and a few loose sources online, the last tenants were artist studios and possibly personal residences. With a history of jewelry manufacturing, the buildings relatively small footprint of about 7,800 square feet makes it a great candidate for renovation and redevelopment. It was for sale in our photos from 2019.

In 2021, Love 4 All Child Care Center requested a rezoning of the property from R-2 (residential) to C-1 (commercial). While the City Plan Commission (CPC) paperwork does not mention it, we presume it was previously converted from C-1 to R-2 while it was a mix of studio and residential. The new owners wanted to return to commercial use in order to run a daycare.

The hired rezoning consultant and the CPC referenced two reports to determine appropriateness of the proposed changes — Providence Tomorrow - City Comprehensive Plan and the Washington Park and South Elmwood Neighborhood Plan and Map.

#Current Events

We haven’t been out there to take recent photos. There are no news stories about this address in the past four years, and Google Streetview shows a little bit of graffiti clean up along with an accessibility ramp, but the daycare does not look open for business. The Love 4 All website does not list this address as a location, nor does Google Business.

#History

From the “Industrial Sites and Commercial Buildings Survey (ICBS)” by PPS and RIHPHC, 2001-2002

The Barker and Barker Jewelry Building at 1199 Eddy Street is a two-story, rectangular, brick, flat-roof, ten-by-four-bay building. Pedestrian entrances are located on the façade. Both entrances are comprised of metal-and-glass doors flanked by sidelights and set below transoms with fabric awnings above. A pedestrian entrance is also located on the rear elevation, set below a pulley and hoist mechanism. Fenestration consists of large, rectangular fixed and awning sash. A brick chinmey with decorative corbeling projects from the rear roof slope. The rear elevation includes vestiges of the building’s Art Deco detailing, including chevron shaped concrete panels at the roof line. A one-story, flat-roof, four-bay, brick garage in poor condition is located to the rear of the property. A paved parking lot bordered by chain link fencing is located to the rear (west).

The building was constructed ca. 1925 and appears on the 1937 map as Barker & Barker Jewelry Company. The lot on which the building stands remained vacant as of 1919. The property came under Barker family ownership in 1923 and continued to be owned by members of the Barker family through to 1929. The 1950 directory lists P & A Linton Co., jewelry manufacturers, and Barker & Barker, Inc., jewelry manufacturers, at this address. The building continued to be used for the manufacturing of jewelry through to at least 1983 when the Sanborn map of that year identifies the structure as a jewelry manufacturing facility. In 1993 the building’s use shifted from manufacturing to residential with studios.