Fox Point | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
State | Rhode Island |
City | Providence |
Fox Point is a neighborhood in the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded by the Providence and Seekonk rivers, Interstate 195 and the College Hill and Wayland neighborhoods. Fox Point is the southernmost neighborhood in the East Side area of Providence.
Fox Point retains much of its historical character, with housing stock dating from the 18th and 19th centuries in much of the neighborhood. Vernacular interpretations of the Federal, Greek revival, and Italianate architectural styles are well represented West of Governor Street, while somewhat more recent construction dominates on Ives and Gano Streets.
Fox Point was originally used for farmland, but its economy quickly changed to maritime affairs with the construction of Providence's first port at India Point in 1680, becoming a major trading point in the Atlantic Triangular Trade of slaves, sugar cane, and rum between New England, the West Indies, and West Africa.[ citation needed ]
The neighborhood derives its name from Tockwotten Hill, which was largely leveled (along with slum residences) as part of a public works project in the 19th century. The fill was used to reclaim part of the Seekonk River now consisting of Gano Street and land to the east of Gano Street. Once the area's street grid had been laid, Fox Point developed as a residential neighborhood.
However, Fox Point became an attractive location for industry with the completion of the Boston and Providence Rail Road and regular steamship connections to ports along the East Coast. The new industry, in turn, attracted many immigrants. Irish were the first wave, and the neighborhood became home to increasing numbers of Portuguese and Cape Verdeans by the second half of the 19th century.
During much of the 20th Century, Fox Point was a neighborhood made up of immigrants from Cape Verde, Portugal, Ireland, Lebanon, and more. [1] Grocery stores, community centers, and restaurants dotted the neighborhood. By the 1980s, those residents and businesses were displaced by gentrification, resulting from urban renewal and the encroachment of students from nearby Brown University living off-campus. [1]
According to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit aimed at improving city life, 78.6% of Fox Point residents are white, well-above the citywide average. In addition, 6.4% of residents are Asian, slightly higher than the citywide average. African-Americans and Hispanics each comprise less than 5% of the population. [2]
The median family income is $55,315, above the citywide average of $32,058. 8% of households live below the poverty line, while 2% of households receive some form of public assistance. [2] 14% of children under the age of six have been exposed to hazardous amounts of lead. [2] This is due to the prevalences of lead paint in older buildings.
Fox Point is located within Ward One. [3] Ward One is currently represented in the Providence City Council by Democrat John Goncalves. [4]
India Point Park is located along the northern shore of Narragansett Bay, at Green Jacket Shoal and the confluence of the Seekonk and the Providence River. The park is the only large expanse of Bay-side shoreline in Providence preserved for public use. Friends of India Point Park [5] is a local citizens organization interested in maintaining the park.
A prominent boulder on the west shore of the Seekonk River (near the current Gano Park) was once one of Providence's most important historic landmarks. Slate Rock was said to be the spot where a group of Narragansetts first welcomed the exiled Roger Williams in 1636 with the famous phrase "What cheer, netop?", and directed him to his eventual settlement location at the fork of the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck Rivers. [6] [7] [8] The historic rock was accidentally blown up by city workers in 1877. They were attempting to expose a buried portion of the stone, but used too much dynamite and the stone was "blasted to pieces." [6] Pieces of the stone were later sold for souvenirs. A monument in Slate Rock Park at Roger Williams Square commemorates the site. [6] [7] [8]
Gano Street Park along the Seekonk River has numerous athletic fields and a dog park.
The Fox Point area includes two schools. One of these is the French-American School, a private school teaching in both French and English from kindergarten to eighth grade. [9] It is located at 75 John Street, near the intersection of John and Hope Street. The other school in Fox Point is the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, located at 455 Wickenden Street near the Fox Point Boys and Girls Club. It is part of the Providence public school system and teaches students from kindergarten to fifth grade. [10]
Roger Williams was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and later the State of Rhode Island. He was a staunch advocate for religious freedom, separation of church and state, and fair dealings with the Native Americans.
Seekonk is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Massachusetts border with Rhode Island. It was incorporated in 1812 from the western half of Rehoboth. The population was 15,531 at the 2020 census. In 1862, under a U.S. Supreme Court decision resolving a longstanding border dispute between Massachusetts and Rhode Island, a portion of Tiverton, Rhode Island was awarded to Massachusetts to become part of Fall River, while two-thirds of Seekonk was awarded to Rhode Island.
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls and Lincoln to the north, and North Providence to the west. The city also borders the Massachusetts municipalities of Seekonk and Attleboro.
Interstate 195 (I-195) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway running a combined 44.55 miles (71.70 km) in the US states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It travels from a junction with I-95 in Providence, Rhode Island, east to a junction with I-495 and Massachusetts Route 25 in Wareham, Massachusetts. It runs east–west and passes through the cities of Fall River, Massachusetts, and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The portion of I-195 in East Providence is also known as the East Providence Expressway.
Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island bordered by Atwells Avenue to the north, U.S. Route 6 to the south and Rhode Island Route 10 to the east. The Woonasquatucket River runs through the southern portion of the neighborhood. The area is roughly triangular.
The Henderson Bridge is a bridge in Rhode Island which spans the Seekonk River, and connects the East Side neighborhood of Providence with the Watchemoket and Phillipsdale neighborhoods of East Providence. After a major reconstruction, the bridge reopened to automobile traffic in phases from November 16 to 20, 2023. A new cycle path opened on November 27. A few weeks later, it was used as a detour during the emergency closure of the westbound half of the parallel Washington Bridge.
The East Side Railroad Tunnel is a former railroad tunnel that runs underneath the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island. The tunnel runs 5,080 feet (1,550 m), under College Hill, from Gano Street to just west of Benefit Street. It was opened on November 16, 1908, at a cost of $2 million. All rail service ceased through the tunnel in 1976 and has been abandoned since.
The Seekonk River is a tidal extension of the Providence River in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 km (5 mi). The name may be derived from an Algonquian word for skunk or for black goose. The river is home to the Brown University men's rowing team, India Point Park, Blackstone Park Conservation District, Crook Point Bascule Bridge, Narragansett Boat Club, Swan Point Cemetery, and the Bucklin Point waste-water treatment facility. The River is listed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management as an impaired waterway.
Blackstone is a predominantly residential neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. It is in the northeast corner of the city and is bounded to the south and west by Lloyd Avenue and Hope Street respectively. It is one of six neighborhoods comprising the East Side of Providence.
College Hill is a historic neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, and one of six neighborhoods comprising the city's East Side. It is roughly bounded by South and North Main Street to the west, Power Street to the south, Governor Street and Arlington Avenue to the east and Olney Street to the north. The neighborhood's primary commercial area extends along Thayer Street, a strip frequented by students in the Providence area.
India Point Park is a park in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island at the confluence of the Seekonk River and Providence River. The park takes its name from the maritime activity connecting Providence with the East and West Indies. The East Bay Bike Path begins at the eastern end of the park, and crosses over the Washington Bridge before heading to Watchemoket Square in East Providence and continuing on to the Bristol waterfront north of the Mount Hope Bridge. The park is also a part of the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.
The Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles (13 km). There are no dams along the river's length, although the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is located south of downtown to protect the city of Providence from damaging tidal floods.
The East Side is a collection of neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It officially comprises the neighborhoods of Blackstone, Hope, Mount Hope, College Hill, Wayland, and Fox Point.
Wickenden Street in Fox Point, Providence, Rhode Island is a popular destination for students of the area's colleges and schools. The street is surrounded by schools and universities on the East Side of Providence's College Hill, including Brown University, RISD, Moses Brown School, & The Wheeler School.
The College Hill Historic District is located in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District on December 30, 1970. The College Hill local historic district, established in 1960, partially overlaps the national landmark district. Properties within the local historic district are regulated by the city's historic district zoning ordinance, and cannot be altered without approval from the Providence Historic District Commission.
See also Daggett House, Slater Park, Pawtucket RI, built about the same time, by Nathaniel's father John.
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England, founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city developed as a busy port, as it is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.
Edwin E. Cull was an American architect in practice in Providence, Rhode Island from 1921 until his death. In 1946 he was cofounder of what is now The Robinson Green Beretta Corporation, one of the largest architecture firms in Rhode Island.
Mashapaug Pond is the largest freshwater pond in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.
John Smith was a founding settler of Providence in what would become the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Smith joined Roger Williams at the Seekonk River in 1636 after both were expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the spring they crossed the river to found Providence where Smith later built and operated the town's gristmill.