74 replies to this topic

[Pseudo_Work]

This is all very depressing.

[09/21/38]

This should be the center of all tourist activities in downtown. This should be a smalller version of Fanual Hall with take out food vendors on the first floor and shops on the second floor. But it should also have entertainment every day at noon and be the meeting place for any walking tour or bus tour of the city.

The Waterfire headquarters should be here. And a vistitors center which shows a movie about attractions and welcomes visitors.

[jencoleslaw]

09/21/38, on Aug 28 2008, 09:24 AM, said:

This should be the center of all tourist activities in downtown. This should be a smalller version of Fanual Hall with take out food vendors on the first floor and shops on the second floor. But it should also have entertainment every day at noon and be the meeting place for any walking tour or bus tour of the city.

The Waterfire headquarters should be here. And a vistitors center which shows a movie about attractions and welcomes visitors.

Oddly, many of those things were there! The city's arts and culture office was there, food on first floor, shops and art galleries on second--entertainment on the steps at noon (but on Wednesdays only, if I remember correctly) and no one came!

[Wilton]

jencoleslaw, on Aug 28 2008, 11:50 AM, said:

Oddly, many of those things were there! The city's arts and culture office was there, food on first floor, shops and art galleries on second--entertainment on the steps at noon (but on Wednesdays only, if I remember correctly) and no one came!

You're right Jen except for no one coming. Many attended.
Regardless, it should not cease being a mall. To think that it may very well be "gutted" hoping to attract a single tenant is just wrong.
There are officials very upset about this. Let's hope the efforts being made on all levels can change the Granoff's plan.

Edited by Wilton, 28 August 2008 - 01:39 PM.

[chaz200]

Wilton, on Aug 28 2008, 03:35 PM, said:

You're right Jen except for no one coming. Many attended.
Regardless, it should not cease being a mall. To think that it may very well be "gutted" hoping to attract a single tenant is just wrong.
There are officials very upset about this. Let's hope the efforts being made on all levels can change the Granoff's plan.

I know, let's shut down Westminster to car traffic and make it a walking mall like downtown crossing in Boston, oh that's right that's what was there before. Just kidding, but maybe the times have changed and something like that would work now.

[Pseudo_Work]

chaz200, on Aug 29 2008, 05:21 AM, said:

I know, let's shut down Westminster to car traffic and make it a walking mall like downtown crossing in Boston, oh that's right that's what was there before. Just kidding, but maybe the times have changed and something like that would work now.

Not without excellent mass transit, it wouldn't. There would be nothing to distinguish Westminster Street from Garden City, and frankly people are douchebags, so they'd all go to Garden City to shop. Either way, that's getting sort of off topic. The idea of the Arcade being "gutted" for any purpose is terrifying. That interior is just as historically important, beautiful, visible, and irreplaceable as the exterior.

Edited by Pseudo_Work, 29 August 2008 - 01:02 PM.

[browncoat]

Pseudo_Work, on Aug 29 2008, 01:58 PM, said:

and frankly people are douchebags,

Nice attitude, spanky.

[Pseudo_Work]

browncoat, on Sep 3 2008, 10:45 AM, said:

Nice attitude, spanky.

Thanks! I do work hard.

[Frankie811]

The Arcade, the nation’s oldest indoor shopping mall, closed to the public yesterday as its owners prepared to transition the downtown landmark from being home to a handful of small, independent businesses and eateries into a space for a single company or retailer.

[chaz200]

Frankie811, on Dec 2 2008, 08:50 AM, said:

The Arcade, the nation’s oldest indoor shopping mall, closed to the public yesterday as its owners prepared to transition the downtown landmark from being home to a handful of small, independent businesses and eateries into a space for a single company or retailer.

So let me understand this. We have no plans to do anything with this property as we don't have anyone who wants it but we decided to throw everyone out and board it up.

Also, For 107 years it has operated with small shops, oh that hasn't proved successful. Um, I think 107 years is somewhat of a success. Maybe if there was a reason for people to be in that area of downtown after 5 there might have been some business.

How come I see this property sitting empty for a couple of years neglected along with the property next door and then a flashback to the fruit and produce warehouse about public safety and drumroll...parking for the Hampton Inn

I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing, especially with an historic building such as this. I didn't really care about the Fruit and Produce but this building has some real historic roots and is a pretty building too.

Sad, sad day

[Pseudo_Work]

chaz200, on Dec 3 2008, 04:38 PM, said:

So let me understand this. We have no plans to do anything with this property as we don't have anyone who wants it but we decided to throw everyone out and board it up.

Also, For 107 years it has operated with small shops, oh that hasn't proved successful. Um, I think 107 years is somewhat of a success. Maybe if there was a reason for people to be in that area of downtown after 5 there might have been some business.

How come I see this property sitting empty for a couple of years neglected along with the property next door and then a flashback to the fruit and produce warehouse about public safety and drumroll...parking for the Hampton Inn

I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing, especially with an historic building such as this. I didn't really care about the Fruit and Produce but this building has some real historic roots and is a pretty building too.

Sad, sad day

I think the downtown merchants can actually sue them to keep it open, on the grounds that it hurts business to have it sitting there vacant (which it does). I have a hard time believing that there's really nothing that can be done here. Why haven't we heard a damn thing from Deller at city hall? Isn't it his f**king job to care about things like this?

Edited by Pseudo_Work, 03 December 2008 - 10:17 PM.

[09/21/38]

Let's see what the Granoffs can come up with before we lose our heads. there was a plan in place which right now is on hold. It doesn't make any sense to turn this into a parking lot. the backlash would not be worth a few more parking spaces or a larger foot print for the 110 Westminster Condo's.

Since the Arcade is down the street from the RISD campus and one of the oldest and most significant archtectural buildings downtown they should buy it and turn it into an art gallery/restaurant/bar.

[Cotuit]

09/21/38, on Dec 4 2008, 08:57 AM, said:

Since the Arcade is down the street from the RISD campus and one of the oldest and most significant archtectural buildings downtown they should buy it and turn it into an art gallery/restaurant/bar.

That will most certainly not be happening.

[jencoleslaw]

chaz200, on Dec 3 2008, 07:38 PM, said:

I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing, especially with an historic building such as this. I didn't really care about the Fruit and Produce but this building has some real historic roots and is a pretty building too.

Sad, sad day

See, that's the thing. A lot of folks didn't care for the produce market or care that it was illegally torn down, but it was the principle of the thing, and it was a precedent setting teardown. And that made it very very important. Very often I have heard folks say "well, I didn't care about grove street school, or the produce market, or the police station, but the Arcade will be protected." Don't count on it, folks. It is like that saying "First they came for the Jew, but I wasn't a Jew, so I didn't say anything...then they came for the..."

[Liamlunchtray]

The only faith I have is that the economy is so bad there isnt money to demolish it. The idea of taking a historic in use building and vacating it with no plan in sight is just insane. I say give it 5 years to decay and then they will tear it down so vagrants wont get hurt squatting in it. Or maybe to build surface parking for the W that doesnt exist.

[Gusterfell]

^Why the city needs to tax vacant/surface parking lots according to their potential. Make it unprofitable to tear down for surface parking.

It's a shame to see Providence, which survived the midcentury "pave downtown for the automobile" days of urban renewal relatively unscathed, repeating the mistakes of so many other American cities. We should know better.

[Pseudo_Work]

Gusterfell, on Dec 5 2008, 03:22 PM, said:

^Why the city needs to tax vacant/surface parking lots according to their potential. Make it unprofitable to tear down for surface parking.

It's a shame to see Providence, which survived the midcentury "pave downtown for the automobile" days of urban renewal relatively unscathed, repeating the mistakes of so many other American cities. We should know better.

To be fair, we only survived that because of a lack of funding. It's an interesting paradox though, how a lack of funding for construction projects is what saved downtown to begin with, and at the same time exactly what's destroying it now. The thing is, I think there are actually lots of people out there who know better, and are angry about this, but the fact is that the mayor just doesn't care. And that's sad.

For the record, I agree 100% on the tax policy issue. It would be the single best solution.

Edited by Pseudo_Work, 06 December 2008 - 12:19 PM.

[Frankie811]

Arcade is empty, but not forgotten


On May 29, Granoff announced an $8 million renovation of the 180-year-old indoor shopping mall in Providence, saying it would become a single-tenant building.

[09/21/38]

Anything new regarding the Arcade? It has been a year since the announcement of a single tenant and nothing is happening.

[chaz200]

09/21/38, on 18 May 2009 - 01:17 PM, said:

Anything new regarding the Arcade? It has been a year since the announcement of a single tenant and nothing is happening.

Well Let's see 110 is becoming a parking lot and the historic facade is a public safety hazard so that will be coming down. I imagine that because the Arcade has been empty for soooooo long that it is deteriorating so will soon become a public hazard and need to be razed a la Fruit and Produce Warehouse. That will make for a mighty fine surface lot. Maybe we should just tear down the Turks Head building while we are at it, why do we need all those silly buildings anyway?
Okay enough with the rant. I am genuinely concerned now that 110 is moving towards becoming part of the asphalt jungle that is downtown Providence. Ganoff rushed to throw everyone out of the Arcade with all these big plans and the new updates to make it a LEED building blah, blah. What is the future of the Arcade?