The Warwick Civic Center Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

encompassing three buildings at the civic heart of

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, the third largest city in the state with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is located approximately south of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, sout ...

History

The three buildings are Warwick City Hall, the Henry Warner Budlong Memorial Library, the Kentish Artillery Armory. Prior to its demolition the Old Fire Station was also included. The first three buildings line the north side of Post Road just east of the junction of

US Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

and

Rhode Island Route 117 Route 117 is a state route in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its western terminus is at Route 14 in Coventry, and its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 1A (US 1A) in Cranston. Route description *Coventry: 14.0 miles (22.5 km); Route 14 ...

, where the village of Apponaug was established in the 17th century. All were built between 1890 and 1925; the fire station, which then housed social services agencies, was, before its demolition, the oldest.Jones, Robert O., Jr
Warwick Civic Center Historic District NRHP Nomination
1980. The district 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.

Contributing properties

Kentish Artillery Armory, 3259 Post Road

This building was built in 1912 on the site of a former armory, built in 1854, that had been destroyed by fire. The old building was in the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

style, like Apponaug's other early civic buildings. Designed by prolific Rhode Island architects William R. Walker & Son, the new building was designed in what was at the time called "a castellated style". The building was occupied for armory purposes until 1977, when the last member of the Kentish Guard died. At that time the building was deeded to the city, which rented the building to the Warwick Museum, now the Warwick Museum of Art, which has remained there ever since. Formerly mounted on the building's facade were two cannons which dated back to the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. They went missing in 1972, and they have never been found. Taking their place are two wooden replicas.D'Amato, Donald A
"The Walking Tour of Historic Apponaug Village"
Warwick, RI: City of Warwick, 1998.

Former Fire Station, 3265 Post Road

Built circa 1890, Apponaug's former fire station was a much altered Queen Anne style wooden building. After outliving its use as a fire station, the building was used as the offices of social service agencies and the municipal employees' credit union. Since the district's listing on the NRHP, this building has been demolished.

Henry Warner Budlong Memorial Library, 3267 Post Road

This building, now the Apponaug branch of the Warwick Public Library, was built in 1924-25 to serve as the home of the Apponaug Free Library Association. The money for the construction was given by Henry W. Budlong, a prominent local philanthropist. It 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 of Hoppin, Field & Peirce in a very plain version of the Classical Revival style. The building's front entrance was originally ornamented by two Tuscan columns, but these were removed sometime in the 1970s. The original doors have also been replaced, but the ormantal hood still remains. Architect

Howard Hoppin Howard Hoppin (April 17, 1856 – October 19, 1940) was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island. Early life Hoppin was born on April 17, 1856 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a son of Dr. Washington Hoppin (1824–1867), a homeo ...

was also the architect of the nearby St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, several years before.

Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Road

This, the largest building in the district, was also designed by William R. Walker & Son. It replaced an assortment of town buildings, which were built in 1834-35 in the

style. The building, designed in the Queen Anne and

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

styles, is an important local landmark. When the towns of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

and

West Warwick West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,012 at the 2020 census. West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the state. Prior to 1913, the town, situated on the wester ...

were split, it was one of two major buildings of contention in the proceedings. Warwick kept the Town Hall, while West Warwick, the denser of the towns, kept the former High School. In 1929 the town built an addition on the rear of the building, to contain the city archives. This was designed by

Jackson, Robertson & Adams Jackson, Robertson & Adams was an architectural firm out of Providence, Rhode Island. Established in 1912, it was originally made up of architects F. Ellis Jackson (1879-1950), Wayland T. Robertson (1873-1935), and J. Howard Adams (1876-1924).W ...

. On the grounds is the city's World War I memorial, dedicated in 1919 and designed by Warwick sculptor John G. Hardy, who was also commissioned for memorials in

North Providence North Providence is a New England town, town in Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 34,114 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Geography According to the United States C ...

as well as in

Templeton, Massachusetts Templeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,149 at the 2020 census. The town comprises four main villages: Templeton Center, East Templeton, Baldwinville, and Otter River. Geography According to ...

. After falling into a period of decline, City Hall was restored beginning in the 1980s. The first phase focused on the exterior, while interior restoration continued into the 1990s. Further restoration work, completed in 2013, brought the tower's bell and clock back into working order.Polichetti, Barbara
"Bell atop Warwick City Hall chimes on the hour once again"
''Providence Journal'' 25 Dec. 2013.

References

{{Kent County, Rhode Island Historic districts in Kent County, Rhode Island Warwick, Rhode Island Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Kent County, Rhode Island