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Pawtucket Renaissance


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IN 1789, JOHN SLATER, an Englishman with industry connections and technical know-how, broke the British ban on exporting technology to the colonies by sneaking through customs while disguised as a farmer. Thanks to Moses Brown, Slater ended up in Rhode Island, and in 1793, the duo built a cotton-processing mill on the banks of the Blackstone River, at the site where the falls stop the tidewater coming in from the ocean.

Development spread rapidly along the Blackstone. By 1844, there were 94 cotton factories lining the 50 miles of riverfront between Pawtucket and Worcester. According to one account, it became "the best harnessed river in the US." Textiles, described by Rick Greenwood of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission as "a whole ecosystem," were at the center of the industry. There were mills that made thread and others that fashioned spools to wind it on. There were mills that dyed, bleached, and finished, and mills that braided, knitted, and stitched. All this industry meant that the city was somewhat of a business incubator, and a center of technological development. "You could find people who could do things," says Greenwood. "It was a magnet for mechanically minded people, because there were jobs there."

Unlike Providence, which also had banking and mercantile interests, Greenwood says Pawtucket "gave itself over almost entirely to industry." The mills remain right in the downtown, spreading outward from the city center. A photo taken of downtown Pawtucket in 1904 shows an area densely developed right up to the riverfront, with factories, churches, and multi-story houses. The steeple of Pawtucket

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Wow, that's sweet! Pawtucket has a restaurant problem. State law doesn't allow for a liquor license to be issued within so many feet of a church. But downtown Pawtucket is chock-a-block with storefront chapels. Restauranteurs that want to be in Pawtucket can't because they can't get a liquor license. I bring this up because that looks like a sweet location for an upscale restaurant.

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Wow, that's sweet! Pawtucket has a restaurant problem. State law doesn't allow for a liquor license to be issued within so many feet of a church. But downtown Pawtucket is chock-a-block with storefront chapels. Restauranteurs that want to be in Pawtucket can't because they can't get a liquor license. I bring this up because that looks like a sweet location for an upscale restaurant.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

http://www.pawtuckettimes.com/site/news.cf..._id=24491&rfi=8

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We are working hard in Pawtucket to bring in restaurants. A state law was enacted that allows liquor to be served in restaurants located 300 feet from a church. This law is in effect also in Newport and Providence. The Pawtucket City Council will consider issuing licenses to restaurants in the Cityi's Arts and Entertainment District. Crazy Burger, located in Narragansett, will open a second site at the Apex building in Pawtucket (at the former Newport Creamery.) It will be called Madhouse Cafe. The expected opening date is June 2005.

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We are working hard in Pawtucket to bring in restaurants.  A state law was enacted that allows liquor to be served in restaurants located 300 feet from a church.  This law is in effect also in Newport and Providence.  The Pawtucket City Council will consider issuing licenses to restaurants in the Cityi's Arts and Entertainment District.  Crazy Burger, located in Narragansett, will open a second site at the Apex building in Pawtucket (at the former Newport Creamery.) It will be called Madhouse Cafe.  The expected opening date is June 2005.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Welcome Herbs, and thanks for joining the discussion!

Some exciting things are happening in Pawtucket. Lets keep up the good work!

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Downtown Pawtucket needs something like this badly. It would be great to see a quality bakery or restaurant go in down there, even better if its a culinary school.

A friend of mine just bought a building downtown and is putting in a full recording studio and performance space/gallery and talking about a cafe as well..

Has anyone heard any thing lately about the Pawtucket - Central Falls train station debacle? Last I heard the people living right near it were all for a cvs in that area. Shortsighted sprawl lovers are everywhere.

For Pawtucket and Central Falls to have a true renaissance the train station MUST be put back into use. My wife and her family hails from Central Falls, so I spent a lot of time up there. When my wife and I would go to Boston on the weekends we would actually DRIVE RIGHT PAST the abandoned train station on our way to the Providence station! I cannot believe that this urban area would not want to see that station back in use. It sits right between downtown Central Falls and Pawtucket; a perfect location. A CVS there, are they kidding?

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For Pawtucket and Central Falls to have a true renaissance the train station MUST be put back into use. My wife and her family hails from Central Falls, so I spent a lot of time up there. When my wife and I would go to Boston on the weekends we would actually DRIVE RIGHT PAST the abandoned train station on our way to the Providence station! I cannot believe that this urban area would not want to see that station back in use. It sits right between downtown Central Falls and Pawtucket; a perfect location. A CVS there, are they kidding?

I know, if they need a CVS then put it on the ground floor of a possible new station/parking garage.

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And didn't they tear down half the town to build that?

They tore down Leroy's theatre to build the Walgreens.

It might be kinda hard for Pawtucket/Central Falls to have the renaissance Prividence enjoyed without some of the amenities Providence has, like a theatre and a train station. Providence already took the Children's Museum from Pawtucket! <_<

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  • 4 weeks later...

LJ's BBQ is moving to Oak Hill?? Awesome!! Does that mean it'll be in the same plaza as Garden Grille and Barney's? If so, that's going to be one power dining area (with Ran Zen, Maximillians, Oak, and India) at the intersection of Blackstone, Hope, and Lippett Park.

- Garris

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Just drove by the train station and there is a lot of site work going on there. They don't appear to have touched the building yet, but I'm not sure what ended up being the final plan over there. Certinaly it's something because they have a significant amount of heavy equipment over there and with all the contruction going on I'm sure it's not cheap to have that stuff sitting around, so obviously they are building something.

I hate that location for a CVS and I'm not a big fan of the Walgreen's either. Maybe I should run for city council in Pawtucket if these are the types of projects that the current members feel they should support. The HoneyDew donuts (now closed and turned over to a carribean food place which is much better than a Honeydew donuts but still would be better served in a real building rather than a honeydew footprint) right next door was a crappy enough idea.

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