Slide Title
Preview

Date
10-1-1974
Description
Intended to be a marvelous plaza inspired by European models, Cathedral Square is considered a problematic and failure of a space. E.F. Kennedy's Roman Catholic Chancery Office and auditorium (1966-67) blocks the axis of Westmister Street and is a building that few regularly visit. The square, which serves as the forecourt to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, was designed by world class architects, I.M. Pei and Zion & Breen but due to a lack of activity generators the space is largely unused.
Rights
This object from the Chester E. Smolski photographic slides and publications, housed by the Rhode Island College Special Collections, and any of its digital surrogates are the intellectual property of Rhode Island College. This digital object is protected by copyright and/or related rights. The digital material presented here is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This content can be used, shared, or adapted for educational and scholarly purposes. For permissions to use this item please contact digitalcommons@ric.edu. All uses must include appropriate attribution.
Creator 2 Dates
1969
Creator 2 Role
Architects
Creator 3 Dates
1969
Creator 3 Role
Architects
Building Type
Piazza
Building Style
European Catholic
Themes
Urban Development
Subject Headings
Public spaces -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Urban renewal -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Pedestrian zones -- Rhode Island -- Providence; Plazas -- Rhode Island -- Providence
Country Name
United States
Region Name
Rhode Island
City Name
Providence
Street Address
Cathedral Square
Recommended Citation
Smolski, Chester; I.M Pei; and Zion & Breen, "Cathedral Square: Beginnings of disregard" (1974). Browse All. 982.
https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/smolski_images/982
Keywords
downtown, cathedral, Providence downtown, malls, cathedral square, commercial streets, public spaces, downtown revitalization
Notes
Bibliography: Woodward, William McKenzie. PPS/AlAri Guide to Providence Architecture. Providence, RI: Providence Preservation Society, 2003, pp. 292.