Settlement south of the former salt water cove and west of the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket rivers began in the 18th century and grew dramatically during the 19th Century. Developing at first across from the 1774 Market House at the foot of College Hill after Thomas Tefft's railroad station (1847) had been built at Exchange Place (now Kennedy Plaza), this part of downtown became the new city center. The irregular salt water cove was converted into an oval basin surrounded by a tree-lined promenade. Nearby Westminster and Weybosset Streets became major commercial thoroughfaires in the second half of the 19th Century. In 1895 a new railroad station was built further north (Stone Carpenter Willson) and the oval cove basin was filled in to make room for additional railroad tracks and parking. With the obvious demise of the railroad from the 1960s onwards came plans to turn the railroad tracks into a park and development areas, and finally, the Capital Center design was developed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill. A key element was a new railroad station even further north (SOM, 1982-86), and designate parcels were opened for development. Waterplace park in its center features a round basin as a reminder of the previous cove. While the Mall on the western side of this development is the most conspicuous part of this new development, other parcels have remained unfilled.

Use the map on the left to select a location, or click here for a list.

For further information on Downtown, consult the Providence Plan website.