The West End is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of Providence, Rhode Island in the region often referred to as the South Side. Its boundaries are delineated by Westminster Street to the north, Huntington Avenue to the south, Elmwood Avenue to the east and the railroad tracks with Route 10 to the west. Cranston Street runs through the center of West End, past the Cranston Street Armory which has given the neighborhood the alternative name of the "Armory District."
The first settlement of the area took place shortly after King Philip's War in the form of farming. In 1739, Obidiah Brown built the Hoyle Tavern at the intersections of Westminster and Cranston Streets, near present-day Classical High School. Early settlers built houses nearby to the tavern. In the 19th century, the area developed industrially and residentially with several factories built near the now-filled Long Pond. Residential construction followed after a horse-drawn coach started serving the area in 1855 and a streetcar in 1865.
North of Cranston Street developed a white middle-class neighborhood of one and two family houses, while south of it, double and triple decker houses were built to accommodate increasing numbers of Irish, French Canadians, and blacks.
Following the urban decline of the 1930s, the West End has become a slowly decaying inner city neighborhood as middle class residents left. The adjacent Huntington Industrial Park in Olneyville had kept industry nearby, but when Gorham Manufacturing Company left the area Olneyville lost importance as a freight rail hub. Further, Route 10 was constructed, physically separating the West End from the rest of the city.
In recent years, new residents have worked to improve and renovate the area's housing supply, particularly the more historic houses, including turning older houses into affordable rentals. For example, the Mechanical Fabric Company between Sprague and Cromwell Streets was renovated and rebranded in 2019 as "Rooms & Works," a hybrid of residences and work spaces, including apartments, a commercial doughnut kitchen, and a brewery and bar. [1] [2] [3]
In 2019, the City Plan Commission granted approval for redevelopment of the former Citizens Bank Building and five adjacent lots at Canonicus Square, at the intersection of Cranston and Westminster Streets, an area considered to be the gateway to the West End. [4]
As of the 1990 census, one in three residents of the West End was Hispanic, about 30 percent were Black, and 14 percent were Asian, making the West End one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods. About one in three families was living below the poverty line and 44% of residents over 25 had completed high school. [5]
According to the Providence Plan, a local nonprofit aimed at improving city life, half of all West End residents are Hispanic while 19% are African-American, 14% white, 13% Asian, and 1.6% Native American. 68% of children under the age of six speak a language other than English as their primary language. [6]
The median family income is $23,346, below the citywide average of $32,058. 36.6% of families live below the poverty line while one in ten families receives some form of public assistance. [6]
Nearly one in four children under the age of six have been exposed to high levels of lead. [6]
Alfred Lima and Asa Messer Elementary Schools are both located in the West End area. Also, the West End Community Center, an afterschool program, is located on Bucklin Street.
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city is 80,559, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston. Cranston is a part of the Providence metropolitan area.
Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of 4.4 square miles (11 km2) in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The community seceded from Roxbury as a part of the new town of West Roxbury in 1851, and became part of Boston when West Roxbury was annexed in 1874. In the 19th century, Jamaica Plain became one of the first streetcar suburbs in America and home to a significant portion of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Route 10 is a numbered state highway connector in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, traveling along the Huntington Expressway, the first freeway in the state. It connects Route 12 on the Cranston–Providence city line with Interstate 95 (I-95), U.S. Route 6 (US 6), and Memorial Boulevard in downtown Providence, passing just east of the Olneyville area of Providence. It provides an alternate route to I-95 south of downtown, and connects it with the US 6 freeway west from Olneyville towards I-295 and Connecticut.
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.
Roger Williams Park is an elaborately landscaped 427-acre (173 ha) city park in Providence, Rhode Island and a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is named after Roger Williams, the founder of the city of Providence and the primary founder of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. Route 6 (US 6) is a major east–west road in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Nationally, the route continues west to Bishop, California and east to Provincetown, Massachusetts. In western Rhode Island, it forms part of one of several routes between Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island, and was planned to be replaced by Interstate 84. The part of I-84 that was built, from Interstate 295 to Olneyville, is now part of US 6. At Olneyville, US 6 joins Route 10 and heads east towards downtown Providence, where it turns south on Interstate 95 and east on Interstate 195. US 6 splits from I-195 in East Providence, crossing into Massachusetts on Warren Avenue. The whole route of US 6 is a state highway maintained by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
Federal Hill is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island, that has held special salience due to its central location within the city. This part of Providence is best known for its Italian American community and abundance of Italian restaurants.
Maryland Route 140 is a 49-mile (79 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 1 and US 40 Truck in Baltimore northwest to the Pennsylvania border, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 16. MD 140 passes through the northern part of central Maryland, connecting Baltimore, Pikesville, Reisterstown, Westminster, Taneytown, and Emmitsburg.
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.
Silver Lake is a neighborhood on the western edge of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bordered by the Hartford neighborhood to the north, Route 10 to the east, Johnston and Cranston on the West and separated from Olneyville by Route 6.
Upper South Providence is an official neighborhood in the South Side in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bound to the north by Interstate 95, the east by the Providence River, to the south by Public Street, and the west by Broad Street. Often associated with Lower South Providence directly to its south, Upper South Providence is a distinct neighborhood.
The Lower South Side is a neighborhood in the southern part of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded by Public Street to the north, by Interstate 95 to the south, by Broad Street to the west, and by the Providence River to the east.
Manton is a residential neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island and part of Johnston, Rhode Island. It is in the westernmost part of the city. of Providence The town of North Providence borders it to the north, Johnston to the west, while the neighborhoods of Hartford, Olneyville, and Mount Pleasant border it inside Providence. Separating it from other Providence neighborhoods to its east are Rushmore Ave, Chalkstone Ave, Smith Street, and the Triggs Memorial Golf Course. The Woonasquatucket River separates it from Johnston to the west.
The Broadway–Armory Historic District is a historic district encompassing a mainly residential mixed-used urban area west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the 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.
The Cranston Street Armory is an historic building in the Broadway–Armory Historic District of Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1907 at a cost of $650,000.00. The building was occupied by the Rhode Island National Guard from its opening until 1996. Since then, parts of the building have been used as film studios, and some of its offices occupied by the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal. The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the Armory as one of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places" in its annual list for 1997. Its distinctive yellow bricks, crenellated turrets, and decorative stonework mark it as a historically significant building and neighborhood icon.
Mount Pleasant is a working-class residential neighborhood situated in the northwest of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bordered by Olneyville to the south, Valley to the east, Manton to the west, and Elmhurst to the northeast, and the Town of North Providence to the north. The major street boundaries that define Mount Pleasant are Academy Avenue to the east, Smith Street to the northeast, Atwells Avenue to the south, and portions of Bullock, Chalkstone, Mera, and Rushmore Avenues to the west.
The Mechanical Fabric Company is a historic factory complex on Cromwell and Sprague Streets in the West End neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island.
Columbus Square is a historic public square in the Historic Elmwood Neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. It is located at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Reservoir Avenue. It serves as a gateway to Elmwood from the Reservoir and West End Neighborhoods.
The Cranston Public Library is the public library system serving Cranston, the second largest city in Rhode Island. The first library in Cranston was formed in 1797, while the library system was formed in 1966 by the Cranston City Council. The present day library system formed in 1968 when six independent neighborhood libraries came together as one. There are six locations in the system, including a central library and five neighborhood branches. The library system is governed by a board of trustees consisting of seven members appointed by the Cranston City Council. Members serve staggered three-year terms. Meetings are open to the public.
Three-year-old Knead [donuts] has relocated all of its production ... to the 5,000-square-foot commercial kitchen space ... located at 55 Cromwell St., in a former factory complex now known as Rooms & Works
The brewery’s 3,500-square-foot new location opened this week in the renovated Mechanical Fabric Company factory complex on the West End.
ROOMS&WORKS, Providence's first live-work community offering designer residences and shared workspace under the same roof
Canonicus Square, which sits at the intersection of Cranston and Westminster Streets, is a critical gateway to the West End and Federal Hill neighborhoods
