Slide Title
Preview
Date
1977
Description
Prior to the construction of Waterplace Park railroad tracks and parking lots separated the different districts of downtown Providence. This barrier was locally referred to as a, "Chinese wall." This 1977 view shows Providence before its dramatic rebirth from “gritty wasteland of neglected waterways, derelict railroad yards, and vast parking lots” to “one of the nation’s most attractive urban environments” (Leazes and Motte). Much of this redesign happened after the 1986 burning of Union station, and the River Relocation Project in order to repair downtown.
Building Style
Edwardian
Themes
Urban Development
Subject Headings
City planning -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Urban renewal -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Land use, Urban -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Documentary photography -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Automobile parking -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Railroads -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Capital Center (Providence, RI); Union Station (Providence, RI); Waterplace Park (Providence, RI)
Country Name
United States
Region Name
Rhode Island
City Name
Providence
Recommended Citation
"Downtown Providence: Parking Lot, Rail Yard" (1977). Smolski Images. 11.
https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/smolski_images/11
Keywords
aerials, automobile parking, railroads, Capital Center, downtown, land use, urban transportation, urban renewal, dead downtown, Chinese Wall, Union Station, Waterplace Park
Notes
Bibliography: Leazes, Francis J. and Mark T. Motte, Providence, the Renaissance City. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2004, pp. 125-132.