COMPLETE: Masonic Temple Hotel

[Cotuit]

Avenue of the arts & Masonic Building renderings and photos

http://www.dot.state.ri.us/webproj/enginee...arch%202005.pdf

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good stuff. I'm glad to see they are going with stamped concrete rather than brick or concrete pavers. I hopoe that becomes a trend throughout the rest of the city, because the brick and concrete pavers throughout the rest of the city are in terrible condition.

Lots of mention of future development on the northern parcel. I wonder what...? Avenue of the arts means they could be looking for an art related development.

[Frankie811]

Good stuff. I'm glad to see they are going with stamped concrete rather than brick or concrete pavers. I hopoe that becomes a trend throughout the rest of the city, because the brick and concrete pavers throughout the rest of the city are in terrible condition.

Lots of mention of future development on the northern parcel. I wonder what...? Avenue of the arts means they could be looking for an art related development.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Talk is that they want to put up a building for offices for legislators, who supposedly need more space. The money isn't there right now, so don't look for anything anytime soon. Former Governor Bruce Sundlin wanted them to put offices in the masonic building instead of building a hotel.

[gregw]

Talk is that they want to put up a building for offices for legislators, who supposedly need more space. The money isn't there right now, so don't look for anything anytime soon. Former Governor Bruce Sundlin wanted them to put offices in the masonic building instead of building a hotel.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wonder why they don't just put the legislative offices in the DOT building (formerly the Registry) and then relocate the DOT to, say, the vacant part of the Foundry.

[Frankie811]

I wonder why they don't just put the legislative offices in the DOT building (formerly the Registry) and then relocate the DOT to, say, the vacant part of the Foundry.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd like to see legislative offices and a parking garage to service VMA, the hotel and leg. offices.

[Cotuit]

The state can build something in their vast sea of parking lots ringing the north and east sides of the Capital Complex. I'd like to see something the public can enjoy along the Avenue of the Arts.

[Recchia]

The state can build something in their vast sea of parking lots ringing the north and east sides of the Capital Complex.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's exactly what so many people who work at DOT want, they could definitey relocate DOT out of that godawful falling apart building (and of course gut it and rehab it for the legislature) and build a new building with a garage in any of those four parking lots. The DOT building is a nice historic building, but its falling apart inside (paint peeling everywhere, etc. and its probly lead based...).

[Garris]

Good stuff. I'm glad to see they are going with stamped concrete rather than brick or concrete pavers. I hopoe that becomes a trend throughout the rest of the city, because the brick and concrete pavers throughout the rest of the city are in terrible condition.

Lots of mention of future development on the northern parcel. I wonder what...? Avenue of the arts means they could be looking for an art related development.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great PDF. I recall it being mentioned that no one quite knows what to do with that parcel North of the AOTA (new acronym!), but that the state was thinking of buying it to keep someone from doing something really stupid, like putting a gas station or Duncan Donuts there.

Every time I drive by the VMA on the highway, I wonder why they don't redo the side of the VMA to promote Providence arts and entertainment to the zillions of people sitting there during rush hour. As it stands right now, they have a tiny little poster there.

- Garris

[Cotuit]

Ave. of the Arts article from Providence Business News.

[EPBOY]

Coming out of the Mall last Saturday nite, I was surprised when I looked over to check out the Masonic Temple. About 1/2 of the facade (the side facing Gloria Dei church) has been removed from the roofline down. (wish I had remembered to snap a picture!)

As I remember, that was a very bland facade, but I thought they were keeping the exterior mostly original.

[Recchia]

Coming out of the Mall last Saturday nite, I was surprised when I looked over to check out the Masonic Temple.  About 1/2 of the facade (the side facing Gloria Dei church) has been removed from the roofline down.  (wish I had remembered to snap a picture!)

As I remember, that was a very bland facade, but I thought they were keeping the exterior mostly original.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is that the side with the "temple of" somethin graffitied on it?

[Cotuit]

As I remember, that was a very bland facade, but I thought they were keeping the exterior mostly original.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think parts of the facade are coming down, but they will be put back in place when repairs to shore up the structure are done.

Is that the side with the "temple of" somethin graffitied on it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's painted on the side facing away from the mall.

[Recchia]

Ahhh there's that nice graffiti...

Am I wrong, or did this place catch on fire last summer?

[Cotuit]

Am I wrong, or did this place catch on fire last summer?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably, everything else around here seems to always be catching fire.

Though I don't remember that happening.

[Recchia]

I remember lookin out the window and seeing it smoking I thought....sometime last summer when the Credit Union building was still under construction.

[EPBOY]

Probably, everything else around here seems to always be catching fire. 

Though I don't remember that happening.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's possilble that someone had a fire going on inside there... but there really was nothing to "catch on fire". It was just a shell of a building with nothing inside.

This is the facade I was referring to (Curtesy of Cotuit). Just a plain wall with lots of littly tiny window cutouts. As you can see... it was unremarkable and is probably better off being replaced anyway:

[Frankie811]

Well, I beleive they demolished the roof only to replace it with a penthouse.

[EPBOY]

Well, I beleive they demolished the roof only to replace it with a penthouse.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm wasn't referrig to the roof ... I'm talking about the facade you see in this picture that is no longer attached to the building. (The bland wall with the little windows)

[EPBOY]

I'm wasn't referrig to the roof      ... I'm talking about  the facade you see  in this picture that is no longer attached to the building.  (The bland wall with the little windows)   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here's some photo's I took last night. The first one has the best view of the "missing facade"

[Cotuit]

Isn't the Temple to be somehow connected to the VMA?

[Cotuit]

I snapped a pic of the Masonic Temple while I was up at Prospect Park today taking pics of the GTECH crane.

[Frankie811]

Isn't the Temple to be somehow connected to the VMA?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They're going to share a ballroom, so maybe the basements of both building will be connected. A structure will be built between the 2 to connect them also.

[WBG4]

This looks like a really cool project Hope it stays on track

[EPBOY]

This looks like a really cool project Hope it stays on track

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just like the Red Sox winning the World Series... this too has been years (generations) in the making! It's way overdue, but it really nice to see another curse turned around!

[EPBOY]

Renaissance Hotel in Providence website. I believe this is the construction managment company. The link has info and updated photos of the Masonic Temple (soon to be the Renaissance Hotel).

Including this awesome Pic of the gutted building:

[WBG4]

You said there was never anything really on the inside right?