Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Providence Post on March 4, 2026. Copyright ppsri.org. Reprinted with permission.
At its meeting on March 3, the City Plan Commission (CPC) voted in favor of the 31-building Wanskuck Local Historic District (LHD) as well as changes to the CPC handbook to make the creation of LHDs a less onerous process. If approved by City Council, this would be the first LHD in the North End.
Providence Preservation Society (PPS) worked with residents, Ward 4 Councilor Justin Roias, and Preservation Planner Jason Martin on the required preparation and engagement that are a part of the LHD process.
Kevin England, a resident of the proposed LHD and a leader throughout the process, attested that the procedure to create a historic district is unnecessarily complex and drawn out. “I am going over 221 hours on this local historic district,” he said. “There’s a move to streamline that, [and] I could not be more in favor of that.” PPS also testified in support of the proposed changes.
“Great job striking out so much unnecessary stuff,” McKenna said. “As we move forward, to keep creating historic districts as the goal post moves for what is historic, and I think that it was just such a burden, the way that it was outlined.”
Martin explained that the small district is just a starting point, with residents intending to expand the overlay to include other buildings over time.
Gazdacko asked how the Providence Historic District Commission (PHDC) would review buildings that have already been modified, for example, with vinyl siding. Martin said that those pre-existing modifications would be allowed to remain.
Brandon Welch, policy analyst for the City Council, read Roias’ letter into the record during public comment. “If you fail to protect neighborhoods like Wanskuck, we’re not disposing of buildings, you are erasing physical evidence of Providence’s industrial [past], immigrant labor history and working class identity,” according to Roias’ letter.
Marisa Brown, PPS’s Executive Director, testified in favor of the new district as well, noting that the district has a huge range in architectural styles and that if ratified, the Wanskuck LHD would be the first in this area of the city.
“To put this in sort of the bigger context, you likely know, seven of Providence’s eight contiguous historic districts are located in only four wards, Wards 1, 2, 9, and 13,” Brown said. “So it is really terrific to see the North End break this mold, elevating Providence’s rich industrial, labor, and immigration history, in addition to its architectural history.”
England discussed the importance of preserving this mill village, and how the process taught him not only more about his neighborhood, but also about his neighbors. “Partway through this process, I learned it wasn’t about construction, it wasn’t about, really, preservation — those are important,” he said. “The big thing was, you were developing a community, a community that decided on a course of action collectively and agreed upon it in writing, and so you can get other people together.”
The CPC voted unanimously in favor of the district, which will now go to the City Council.
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