Blackstone is a predominantly residential neighborhood in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
. It is in the northeast corner of the city and is bounded to the south and west by Lloyd Avenue and Hope Street respectively. It is one of six neighborhoods comprising the
East Side of Providence.
![Blackstone Boulevard view in winter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Blackstone_Boulevard_view_in_winter.png)
History
![RI Governor Herbert W Ladd Grave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/RI_Governor_Herbert_W_Ladd_Grave.jpg)
Blackstone is one of the last parts of Providence to be developed, as the remoteness of its location and marshy land had precluded significant development before the late 19th century. It wasn't until construction of Blackstone Boulevard in 1894 as a means of reaching
Swan Point Cemetery
Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments.
History
The cemetery was first organi ...
that the area saw extensive residential development.
The area was largely marshland, and the earliest road was Cat Swamp Lane followed the high ground. Several farms were located in the area during the 1700s, and a few farmhouses from that era remain.
In the late 1700s, several burial grounds were established in the remote western part of the city. Several of these by 1847 and 1858 became consolidated into present-day
Swan Point Cemetery
Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments.
History
The cemetery was first organi ...
.
Construction of Blackstone Boulevard
By the 1870s the cemetery was accessible by means of a public omnibus which journeyed by means of a winding zigzag road which ran along present-day North Main Street, Olney Street, Morris Avenue, Sessions Street, Cole Avenue, and Rochambeau.
In 1886 the directors of Swan Point Cemetery hired landscape architect
Horace Cleveland
Horace William Shaler Cleveland (December 16, 1814 – December 5, 1900) was an American landscape architect. His approach to natural landscape design can be seen in projects such as the Grand Rounds in Minneapolis; Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Con ...
of Chicago to plan a road to improve access to the cemetery from the town of Providence. This road opened in 1894 as Blackstone Boulevard.
Blackstone Boulevard became a catalyst for development in the neighborhood, spurring construction of single family homes which were "architecturally distinctive" from the rest of the city.
Between 1890 and 1923, property values along the Boulevard tripled, as the neighborhood became one of the most desirable and fashionable in the city.
In the early 1900s, the Boulevard was redesigned to create the
Blackstone Boulevard Park
Blackstone Boulevard Park is a public park and footpath that runs down the center of Blackstone Boulevard on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. It is located in the Blackstone neighborhood, an affluent and primarily residential part o ...
.
![Community Church of Providence](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Community_Church_of_Providence.jpg)
The 20th century saw institutional development in the form of Central Baptist Church, Temple Emanuel, and St. Sebastian's Roman Catholic Church.
Description
The Blackstone neighborhood comprises the northeast corner of the East Side of Providence, between the eastern ridge of the
Moshassuck River
The Moshassuck River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 from the town of Lincoln to the city of Provide ...
Valley and the western bank of the
Seekonk River
The Seekonk River is a tidal extension of the Providence River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi). The name may be derived from an Algonquian word for skunk, or for black goose. The river is home to t ...
.
Blackstone is primarily residential, and made up of mainly of single-family dwellings. It is one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods.
Houses of Worship
![Temple Emmanuel, Providence Rhode Island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Temple_Emmanuel%2C_Providence_Rhode_Island.jpg)
Notable religious institutions in the area include Temple Emanu-El, St. Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church and the Community Church of Providence (formerly Central Baptist).
The Community Church began as an offshoot of the
First Baptist Church in America
The First Baptist Church in America is the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island, also known as the First Baptist Meetinghouse. It is the oldest Baptist church congregation in the United States, founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Pr ...
.
The congregation originally was known as the Second Baptist Church, then Pine Street Baptist, and in 1917 opened at Lloyd and Wayland Street as Central Baptist.
In 2003, the church became known as Community Church of Providence.
Between 1917 and 2018 the building featured a large
Tiffany stained glass memorial to Frederick W. Hartwell created by
Agnes F. Northrop entitled "Light in Heaven and Earth".
The complex work was considered "one of the largest and finest landscape windows ever produced by Tiffany Studios", but largely was overlooked in the community.
In 2018, the church sold the window to the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
where it is undergoing conservation and preparation to be displayed prominently in September 2020 as the
Hartwell Memorial Window Hartwell may refer to:
Places
* Hartwell, Victoria, a neighbourhood of Camberwell in Melbourne, Australia
** Hartwell railway station
England
* Hartwell, Buckinghamshire
* Hartwell, Northamptonshire, a village
* Hartwell, Staffordshire, a lo ...
.
Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
built several facilities in the neighborhood.
Ladd Observatory
Ladd Observatory is an astronomical observatory at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1891 it was primarily designed for student instruction and also research. The facility operated a regional timekeeping service. It was re ...
was built in 1891 on the edge of the neighborhood at Hope Street and Doyle Avenue. In the 1920s Brown built several athletic facilities along Elmgrove Avenue, including
Brown Stadium
Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium is a football stadium located in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the home of Brown University's football and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Brown University, known as the Bears, compete in the Ivy ...
(1925), Aldrich Field (1925—1961),
and
Marvel Gymnasium
Marvel Gymnasium was a 3,000-seat multipurpose gymnasium in Providence, Rhode Island. It was home to the Brown University Bears basketball team as well as other teams. The gymnasium included a basketball court and seating, a second-floor running ...
(1927—1989).
Aldrich field was sold in 1961 and developed as a residential neighborhood, with streets named for Brown presidents Maxcy, Faunce, Barbour, and Wriston.
Marvel Gym was closed in 1989 and demolished.
Hospitals
Butler Hospital
Butler Hospital is a private, non-profit, psychiatric and substance abuse hospital for adolescents, adults, and seniors, located at 345 Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, Rhode Island. The hospital is affiliated with the Warren Alpert Medical Sch ...
, located off Blackstone Boulevard, is Rhode Island's only private mental health hospital. Founded in 1844, the hospital offers psychiatric and substance-abuse treatment programs. The hospital was built in 1847 on the Richard Browne Farm at the end of Rochambeau Avenue.
The building is a huge Gothic structure surrounded by landscaping, built according to the philosophy of the time to remove patients from the stresses of urban life to a rural setting.
Parks
*
Blackstone Boulevard Park
Blackstone Boulevard Park is a public park and footpath that runs down the center of Blackstone Boulevard on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. It is located in the Blackstone neighborhood, an affluent and primarily residential part o ...
[Citywide Green](_blank)
/ref> is a green space between northbound and southbound lanes of Blackstone Boulevard. It consists of of parkland and a jogging/walking path.
*Lippitt Memorial Park is located at the intersection of Hope Street and Blackstone Boulevard near the Pawtucket border.
*Blackstone Park Conservation District
The Blackstone Park Conservation District is a public, 45-acre woodland conservation area on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. It is run by the non-profit Blackstone Parks Conservancy in partnership with the Providence Parks Departm ...
is a woodland conservation area along the river, important bird habitat for the Seekonk River
The Seekonk River is a tidal extension of the Providence River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi). The name may be derived from an Algonquian word for skunk, or for black goose. The river is home to t ...
and Blackstone wildlife corridor.
Demographics
According to the Providence Plan,a local nonprofit aimed at improving city life, 92.5% of residents are white, well above the citywide average of 54.5%.[Blackstone](_blank)
Blackstone is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the city with a median family income nearly four times that of the city and housing values more than doubling in recent years. The median household income is $87,727, and the median family income is $117,522. Only 1.1% of families live below the poverty line.
The neighborhood is home to a significant Jewish population. The Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island was established on Elmgrove Avenue in 1971; later this merged with other communal organizations and became known as the Jewish Alliance of Rhode Island. The area is also home to the Providence Hebrew Day School on Elmgrove Avenue and Temple Emmanuel on Morris Avenue.
Government
Ward Two encompasses Blackstone, all of College Hill and Wayland north of Angell Street, and parts of Mount Hope. As of the 2018 elections
The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world.
Africa
*2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018
*2018 Sierra Leonean general elect ...
, Helen Anthony, a Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, represents the ward in the City Council.
References
External links
Provplan.org Neighborhood Profiles
{{coord, 41.84, -71.39, type:city_region:US, display=title
Neighborhoods in Providence, Rhode Island