Josephine White Block

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Josephine White Block
Josephine White Block Providence RI 2013.jpg
Josephine White Block in 2013
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Location Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°47′59″N71°39′20″W / 41.79972°N 71.65556°W / 41.79972; -71.65556 Coordinates: 41°47′59″N71°39′20″W / 41.79972°N 71.65556°W / 41.79972; -71.65556
Arealess than one acre
Built1894
Architect Mesker Brothers
MPS Elmwood MRA
NRHP reference # 80000014 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 7, 1980

The Josephine White Block is an historic mixed-use commercial and residential building at 737-739 Cranston Street in the Elmwood section of southern Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is a three-story structure with a stamped-metal facade, and sidewalls of brick (first floor) and clapboard (upper floors). It was built c. 1894 for Josephine White, a widow who lived nearby, and houses two storefronts in the first level and four living units above. The metal facade is the only known local installation of the St. Louis, Missouri-based Mesker Brothers, a nationally known manufacturer of metal architectural elements. [2]

Elmwood, Providence, Rhode Island

Elmwood is a neighborhood in the South Side of Providence, Rhode Island. The triangular region is demarcated by Broad Street, Elmwood Avenue, and Interstate 95.

Providence, Rhode Island Capital of Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It was 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 is situated at the mouth of the Providence River at the head of Narragansett Bay.

Mesker Brothers

The Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Co. were competing manufacturers and designers of ornamental sheet-metal facades and cast iron storefront components from the 1880s through the mid-twentieth century. The Mesker Brothers Iron Works was based in St. Louis, Missouri, and was operated by brothers Bernard and Frank Mesker. The George L. Mesker Company was operated by a third brother, George L. Mesker, and was based in Evansville, Indiana. The Mesker brothers were the sons of John Mesker who operated a stove business in Evansville and later galvanized iron for buildings. The three brothers learned their iron-working skills from their father.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [1]

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. "Historic Resources of Elmood, Providence" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved 2014-11-02.