Architecture Here and There

The photo above, taken this evening on my way home from work, shows how crucial the Arnold Building is to the fabric of Washington Street, in downtown Providence. The poor Arnold was struck by a serious fire last week - serious, but not devastating. And yet the question remains, will the dark forces of the parking leviathan maneuver the Arnold's owner, Pat Cortellessa, into seeking its demolition? (He has insurance.)

Go to my column Thursday and you will not, alas, find the answer. You will find out what the answer should be. It depends on factors that are probably too sensitive to mention in a column. But in a blog that flies under the surface, somewhat, perhaps it can be hinted at just a wee little bit. It may depend on how one current mayor and one past mayor get along. I name no names, make no predictions, but the prognosis (partly because of that political reality, one that under other circumstances would be deplorable) seems good.

Oh? What's that? Which one is the Arnold Building? It's the one just slightly to the right of the middle of the picture, just past the first building in the picture, which is URI's Providence campus in the old Shepard Building, next to the wiggly clock. The Arnold, by the way, is only twelve and a half feet deep, so you are looking at most of it.

 Tags  Arnold Building downtown fire parking Providence RI

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Chandoso said:

The parking lot between the Arnold and the Mathewson St Methodist Church is too small for its owner (Paolino) to build a garage. Let's hope he doesn't buy the Arnold or it will come down before anyone can do anything about it, like the round bus station a few blocks away, just so he can build that garage he's always wanted there.

The other parking garages that front directly onto Washington are dead zones on the sidewalk. It would really be a greater benefit to downtown if the Arnold can be saved than if there were another parking garage on a main thoroughfare.

Link | September 30, 2009 11:45 AM
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