The Oddfellows' Hall is an historic fraternal society building on Warren Avenue in

East Providence, Rhode Island East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,139 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-largest city in the state. Geography East Providence is located between the Providence and Seekonk ...

Description

The 2½-story wood frame structure was designed by the

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

firm Gould & Angell, and was built in 1889. It is 12,000 square feet in area and sits on a 6,098 square foot corner parcel on Warren Avenue and Burgess Avenue. An architectural highlight of the building is a decorative meeting room on the second floor. It is also a high-quality example of Shingle style architecture.

History

Watchemoket Square

Oddfellows' Hall is a rare surviving element of Watchemoket Square ( or ), a village which was the heart of the East Providence business community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. East Providence was incorporated in 1862, and Watchemoket Square was significantly built up between 1880 and 1920. It became a desirable location for the professional class to live, and many large Queen Anne and shingle style buildings were built in the neighborhood with decorative towers and porches. An 1885 iron bridge on Warren avenue connected Warren Avenue to India Point in Providence.

20th century

By the early 20th Century, the area boasted over 100 businesses and hotels. The construction of

I-195 Interstate 195 (I-195) is the designation for the following Interstate Highways in the United States, all of which are related to I-95: *Interstate 195 (District of Columbia), a future designation for the north–south portion of I-395 from the Sout ...

in 1955 destroyed half of the village, leaving the Oddfellows Hall as one of its few survivors. The neighborhood quickly fell into decline in the following decades. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980.

21st century

Oddfellows' Hall, East Providence, RI 2012

By the 21st century the structure had become, according to one city councilor, a "a blighted building" located in "a blighted area." The city of East Providence acquired the building in 2012. In 2017 the surrounding neighborhood was established as a federal

opportunity zone An Opportunity Zone is a designation and investment program created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 allowing for certain investments in lower income areas to have tax advantages. The purpose of this program is to put capital to work that would ...

to spur investment. The building sat "vacant for many, many years with multiple issues," including a roof in need of total replacement. The city put the structure out for bid multiple times in hopes of making it a centerpiece for turning the area into a neighborhood Arts district. In 2019 the city sold the building to a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

for one dollar. The city expressed hope that the building could be used for any number of uses including residential or commercial space, or artist studios, or senior living.

References