Photographer/Creator

Chester Smolski
Edwin
Walker and Gould

Preview

image preview

Date

11-1-1978

Description

Pictured on the left, the Equitable Building features a locally cast iron "Venetian" facade that is the best preserved of the few cast-iron facades in the city. The facade was cast by the Builders Iron Foundry. The design of the building incorporates the Victorian custom of splitting the street-level tenants in half - a shop on the ground-level and the principle business a floor up. At the right, is the Wilcox building. It's L-shaped floor plan wraps around the neighboring Equitable building, giving it facades on both Weybosset and Custom House Streets. It is one of the city's first commercial office buildings that was built in the the polychromatic High Victorian Gothic Style. In 1975 the interior of the building was destroyed by fire. The ensuing restoration helped restore community concern to downtown preservation.

Notes

Bibliography: Jordy, William H, Ronald J. Onorato, and William M. K. Woodward. Buildings of Rhode Island. Oxford: New York, 2004, pp. 48-49.

Creator 2 Dates

1875

Creator 2 Role

Architect, Wilcox Building

Creator 3 Dates

1872

Creator 3 Role

Architect, Equitable Building

Building Type

Mall

Building Style

Renaissance Revival

Themes

City Beautiful

Subject Headings

Architecture, Victorian -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Historic buildings -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Downtown districts -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Facades

Country Name

United States

Region Name

Rhode Island

City Name

Providence

Street Address

42 Weybosset St

Download Medium Thumbnail

Keywords

architecture, Victorian, downtown, street scene, architecture, architecture, renaissance revival, cast-iron facade, federal building, customhouse, commercial streets, downtown restoration

Share

COinS