Historic Preservation and Affordable Housing: Possible to Have Both? 

by Sarah Gleason

The three historic houses demolished in January on Angell Street on the East Side of Providence got considerable press attention. The vacant space in what had long been a quiet residential area will likely be filled with a multi-story structure, similar to those going up [...]

The Studentification of Wanskuck

by Roseanne Camacho

If you have lived in Providence for a long time and love the city, what would drive you away? Noisy neighbors? Illegal parking? Dangerous drivers? For Michael Veracka, living for decades in the Wanskuck neighborhood, it was “chronic illegal dumping” in the lot next door. [...]

Afghan refugees are learning to call Rhode Island home

by Zane Wolfang

Basri Darabi’s face is furled in concentration as she carefully constructs her sentence: “Akhtar is my husband.” She breaks into a beaming smile as she is given a clap for her perfect grammar and word choice –Basri continues down the line, talking about her five [...]

Brown’s Haffenreffer Museum to Bring Indigenous Culture Closer to a Diverse Providence

by Roseanne Camacho

Brown University’s Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology has long been split across two locations: Providence, where it maintains an exhibition and event space on the Brown campus; and Bristol, R.I., where most of its collections and staff are housed. For scholars and community members looking to [...]

Still Hoping for the Cranston Street Armory

by Taylor M. Polites

The Cranston Street Armory, one of Rhode Island’s most iconic treasures, remains lost in a morass of politics and funding questions despite years of State and community attempts to save it.  Even so, efforts like the current one continue, fueled not by greed but by [...]

Why is Providence’s Largest Pond Invisible?

by Barbara Morin

On Saturday mornings between April and October, a group of volunteer URI Watershed Watch “citizen scientists” collect water samples from Mashapaug Pond in Reservoir Triangle. Mashapaug Pond, the largest freshwater pond in Providence, is part of a complex ecosystem, receiving outflow from Spectacle Pond in [...]

The Williams Family Tree, Roger and Betsey 

by Roseanne Camacho

The American Sycamore tree in Roger Williams Park between Betsey Williams’ cottage and the statue memorializing Roger Williams, has probably stood there nearly 240 years. The tree was the inaugural focus of Doug Still’s monthly podcast series, This Old Tree, featuring “heritage trees and the [...]

Columbus Goes to Johnston

by Roseanne Camacho

The Italian American community has lusted after the statue of Christopher Columbus in Elmwood for decades.  And now it has it, to be put into a park in Johnston, thanks to the former Mayor Joseph Paolino’s money. The statue was removed from Elmwood in 2020 [...]

North Burial Ground as Haven

by Annalisa Heppner

As the Director of City Cemeteries, I have a particular fondness for North Burial Ground (NBG), but here I am writing as a resident of Providence and cemetery enthusiast with my own personal beliefs, why cemeteries matter, and how cemeteries can be transformational spaces in [...]

North Burial Ground as Habitat

by Greg Gerritt

Those of us who live in a city occasionally need an oasis away from the throngs, a place that is relatively quiet, has some open space, and offers us information about the place where we live and the creatures we share our city with.  Providence’s [...]