Article by Jenny Lin


Prehistory

The Providence Athenaeum, designed by architect William Strickland, began construction in 1836 as a result of the union between the Providence Library Company (1753) and the old Providence Athenaeum (1831). Benjamin Franklin's promotion of public libraries acted as a catalyst for this union. Indeed, Providence was one of the first cities to follow Philadelphia 's early public library establishment.

Originally, the Providence Athenaeum was located downtown in the Arcade at 65 Westminster Street. The Athenaeum's merger with the Providence Library Company called for a new building to be erected on Benefit Street of Providence 's pleasant College Hill-site of Rhode Island 's first permanent colonial settlement.

more
SAH Annual Meeting Info
  
Introduction The City Buildings Architects Walks Case Studies Links About Us College Hill Downtown Blackstone Wayland Fox Point Upper South Providence Federal Hill West End Mount Hope Hope Smith Hill Lower South Providence South Elmwood Washington Park Charles Wanskuck Elmhurst Valley Elmwood Mount Pleasant Reservoir Manton Olneyville Silver Lake Hartford Graduate Center Avon Cinema Sciences Library Athenaeum Burnside House Cable Car Cinema First Unitarian Church First Baptist Meeting House Athenaeum Row List Art Building Nightingale Brown House Sullivan Dorr House Truman Beckwith House Benefit Street Arsenal Old State House Providence Produce Warehouse Providence Place Mall U.S. Federal Building Banigan Building Old Masonic Temple Shepard's Building Biltmore Hotel Industrial Trust Building Arcade AS220 Fleet Skating Center Grace Episcopal Church Masonic Temple Turk's Head Building Providence Railroad Station Butler Hospital Mekong Market Russian Sub Museum AT Wall Company El Faro's Diner Providence Public Safety Complex Grove Street School Dudley House Columbus Theater Cranston Street Armory Christ Episcopal Church Chad Brown Project Castle Theatre Home for Aged Men Rising Sun Mills