Introduction

The construction of the Providence Place Mall was a bold move to revitalize the urban center of the city, create new jobs, and generate tax revenue. The debate that surrounded the development of the mall formed the structure as it exists today. Opened in 1999, the multi-level complex is the centerpiece of the Capital Center Development District meant to enlarge and invigorate Providence.

Mall promoters promised jobs, tax revenues, and the renewal of downtown Providence as a shopping destination. Indeed, Providence did not have a concentration of stores like Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, The Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, and Eddie Bauer before the opening of the mall. Critics worried that the mall would invite shoppers and pedestrians into the city and then isolate shoppers within its walls.

The largest building in the state, the $500 million mall was a public and private venture in which taxpayers contribute to the mall, allowing the developer to retain the first $6 million in sales tax receipts for twenty years, and the city of Providence would forgive the property tax for 20 years.