Providence Place
Location | Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
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Coordinates | 41°49′40.58″N 71°24′59.24″W / 41.8279389°N 71.4164556°W |
Address | One Providence Place |
Opening date | August 20, 1999 |
Developer | Commonwealth Development[1] |
Management |
|
Owner |
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No. of stores and services | 160 |
No. of Total retail floor area | 1,400,000 sq ft (130,000 m2) |
No. of floors | 3 |
Website | providenceplace |
Providence Place is an American
History
Providence Place opened in 1999 with original anchors
In September 2015,
Throughout 2016, the mall underwent major renovations. The area that JCPenney once occupied was converted into parking, and a guidance system was later added in the garage to direct customers to open spots. Stateside Parking was renamed to "North Garage", and Cityside Parking was renamed to "South Garage".
On October 9, 2018, it was announced that Boscov's would replace Nordstrom, which closed on January 4 of the following year, when its lease expired.[3]
On June 1, 2020, Providence Place suffered damage after people protesting the murder of George Floyd broke in and looted 12-18 stores.[4]
Illegal apartment
Michael Townsend, Adriana Yoto and six other artists covertly built an apartment in a 750-square-foot (70 m2) empty space in one of the mall's parking garages in 2003 after hearing an advertisement which imagined living in the mall. The group lived there for up to three weeks at a time while documenting mall life. A
In 2024, it was announced that a feature documentary film on the secret apartment had been completed, titled Secret Mall Apartment and directed by filmmaker Jeremy Workman.[10]
Architecture
The mall was built on land previously occupied by a dirt parking lot called "Ray's Park & Lock." The proposed design was met by opposition from residents on the city's East Side; developers changed the initial design to fit better into the neighborhood. The new design included more red and yellow brick and turrets on the roof, to reflect Providence's industrial past.[11]
The design of the mall was partly done by the architect Friedrich St. Florian.[12] He also built the skybridge that connected the mall with the Omni Providence Hotel (formerly the Westin Hotel).
In total, Providence Place consists of fifteen levels. The lowest three are labeled P1-P3 (formerly C-A). Level P1 consists of Parking-Only North Garage (Stateside), and Street Level Restaurants Cityside. There was also a level D in the North Garage. Level P2 consists of DSW shoes and Restaurants,
The fifth through ninth levels are labeled 1, 1.5 (formerly 1M), 2, 2.5 (formerly 2M) and 3, which feature the indoor galleria (excluding the .5 levels). There is a Dave & Buster's, an IMAX theatre, and a 16-screen Showcase Cinemas on the seventh level. The mall also hosts two large parking garages labeled North Garage and South Garage, one stateside and the other cityside, anchored to its back end. Bridges connect the two sides over the Woonasquatucket River.
The mall's Winter Garden is a noticeable architectural feature. The four-level structure in the center of the mall spans the
List of anchor stores
Name | Year opened |
Year closed |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Nordstrom | 1999 | 2019 | |
Boscov's | 2019 | — | Replaced Nordstrom |
Lord & Taylor | 2000 | 2004 | |
JCPenney
|
2005 | 2015 | Replaced Lord & Taylor |
Filene's | 1999 | 2006 | |
Macy's | 2006 | — | Replaced Filene's |
Gallery
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Inside Providence Place
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Providence Place with the Gtech headquarters obscuring left view
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The former Nordstrom entrance in the mall
References
- ^ "Providence Place is coming of age". The Standard-Times. New Bedford, Mass.
- ^ "Photos: From the Archives: 20 years ago Providence Place opens". The Providence Journal. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ Krause, Nancy; Steve Nielson (October 9, 2018). "Nordstrom at Providence Place closing; Boscov's moving in". WPRI News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018.
- ^ "Providence Protesters Break into Mall, Loot Stores, Burn Police Cruiser". WBZ News. June 2, 2020.
- ^ "Trummerkind". wrafwraf.com. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Artist gets probation for building secret mall apartment". NBC News. Associated Press. October 2, 2007.
- Salon.
- ^ Mulvaney, Katie. "Where Are They Now: Artist wishes he could go 'home' again to Providence Place mall". The Providence Journal. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ "The Accidental Room". 99% Invisible. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ McGowan, Dan (February 29, 2024). "The Rhode Island documentary we've been waiting for - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Kostrzewa, John (December 25, 2016). "John Kostrzewa: A winter night's tour of the Providence skyline". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
Just across Memorial Boulevard, you can't miss Providence Place, the huge mall built in 1999 on land once used by Ray's Park & Lock, a dirt lot for 450 cars. ... When the mall was proposed, some East Siders ... complained it looked like an aircraft carrier. They convinced public officials to change the design to include more red brick (and special yellow brick for Nordstrom) and turrets on the roof to fit the city's industrial past.
- ^ "Bell Gallery Displays Retrospective of Friedrich St.Florian's Career" (Press release). Brown University). May 12, 2006.