The College Hill Historic District is located in the College Hill neighborhood of

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 ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was designated a

National Historic Landmark District National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

on December 30, 1970. The College Hill local historic district, established in 1960 (and expanded in 1990), partially overlaps the national landmark district. Properties within the local historic district are regulated by the city's historic district zoning ordinance, and cannot be altered without approval from the Providence Historic District Commission.

History

The area marks the original settlement of

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

in 1636 on the banks of the

Providence River The Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles (13 km). There are no dams along the river's length, although the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is located south of downtown to protect th ...

after he was banished from Massachusetts. Williams' original homestead site is located near Roger Williams National Memorial, a small park near the river. Many of the street names mark the location of the original strips of farmland owned by the earliest settlers, such as

Wickenden Street Wickenden Street in Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island is a popular destination for students of the area's colleges and schools. The street is surrounded by schools and universities on the East Side of Providence's College Hill, including ...

, Arnold Street, and Angell Street. Many Victorian and American colonial houses such as the

Stephen Hopkins House The Governor Stephen Hopkins House is a museum and National Historic Landmark at 15 Hopkins Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The house was the home of Stephen Hopkins (politician), Stephen Hopkins—a governor of Rhode Island and signatory of ...

remain in the area.

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 ...

Moses Brown School Moses Brown School is an independent Quaker school located in Providence, Rhode Island, offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. It was founded in 1784 by Moses Brown, a Quaker abolitionist, and is one of the oldest prepara ...

Wheeler School Wheeler School is a private school located on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The school serves students from the preschool level through twelfth-grade. History Early history In 1889, an art school for girls was establ ...

, and the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

are atop the hill, giving it its name.

Thayer Street Thayer Street in Providence, Rhode Island is a popular destination for students of the area's nearby schools of Brown University, Moses Brown School, Hope High School, Wheeler School, RISD, Providence College, Johnson & Wales University, and ...

is a popular destination nearby with coffee shops, galleries, stores, and restaurants. Many churches are also in the area including Roger Williams'

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 ...

and Central Congregational Church. The Hill district is transected by Benefit Street which was built as a "benefit" to the community and stretched perpendicularly crossing the original homestead strips. The Old State House and

Providence Athenaeum The Providence Athenaeum is an independent, member-supported subscription library in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The building is open to the public, but only members can check out items from the collection. The ...

, the fourth oldest library in America are located in the district.

Designation

The National Historic District was designated in 1960 following a detailed inventory of the area which identified 348 structures in the district as

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

. The district was expanded 1977 and 1990 to approximately 945 properties largely from the 18th and 19th centuries. The effort to establish the district were spearheaded by

Antoinette Downing Antoinette Forrester Downing (July 14, 1904 – May 9, 2001) was an architectural historian and preservationist who wrote the standard reference work on historical houses in Rhode Island. She is credited with spearheading a movement that saved ma ...

and

John Nicholas Brown II John Nicholas Brown II (February 21, 1900 – October 10, 1979) was the United States Assistant Secretary of the Navy (AIR) from 1946 to 1949. He was a member of the Brown family that had been active in American life since before the American Re ...

References

External links

Providence Planning Info and Map of the Area
* * {{National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island, state=collapsed National Historic Landmarks in Rhode Island Geography of Providence, Rhode Island History of Providence, Rhode Island Historic districts in Providence County, Rhode Island Historic American Buildings Survey in Rhode Island Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island

History

Designation

See also

References

External links