FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Broadway Neighborhood Association (WBNA)

Kari Lang (WBNA), 401-301-3821, 401-831-9344 or kari@wbna.org

Yet Another Legal Win for the Historic Grove Street School

Significant school building wins in court every time, yet languishes from owner neglect

Providence, Rhode Island – August 21, 2010

On Thursday, August 12, the State Building Code Standards Committee Board of Appeal upheld a City of Providence Building Board of Review decision that sustained the City of Providence Building Official’s order that the owners of the Grove Street School must immediately stabilize and secure the historic school building.  By a vote of 13 to 3, the board deemed the July 20, 2009 order by Providence Building Official Kerry Anderson necessary for public safety.

In the more than three years since the historic building—owned by members of the Tarro family—was illegally partially demolished on the morning of Saturday, February 3, 2007, there have been a Superior Court trial, an appeal to the Supreme Court, and two administrative appeals, with the decisions rendered in that successfully prevented further demolition of the School.  After the partial demolition occurred in February 2007, the City hired attorney Deming Sherman to pursue a case against the owners, due to the fact that partial owner Michael Tarro is employed by the City of Providence as an assistant solicitor.  Michael Tarro is also running for the State Representative seat vacated by House Finance Commitee Chairman Steven M. Costantino.

Unfortunately, as the School wins in court, it remains open to the weather and vandals with broken windows, holes in the roof, and an immense opening where the demolition occurred.  It also is covered in graffiti, and the site itself is trash-strewn, and overgrown with weeds.  Neighbor Kathy Pearce said, “This situation is ridiculous, if you or I were to keep our homes this way, the City would heavily fine us and move to take our property, yet this situation is allowed to continue.”  She continued, “Neighbors want to see the historic Grove Street School preserved and reused.  From a neighborhood safety perspective, it is dangerous that the building is allowed to be kept open.”

Relief may soon come to the School, as the City has indicated that it will board the building and secure it from intrusion and the weather, and will put a lien on the property to cover the cost of the stabilization work.  The City also pledged to write up all the violations that exist on the property.

As for the long-term solution for the School, a reuse study has been completed, and there is an interested buyer who is willing to purchase the School, and put it to good, neighborhood-sensitive use.

The Grove Street Elementary School is the last remaining grammar school which symbolizes a defining era of immigration in Providence’s Federal Hill.  It was one of five grammar schools built to serve the rapidly increasing immigrant population of Federal Hill in 1900. Residents and preservation advocates argue that the Grove Street School embodies a critical piece of the neighborhood’s heritage, and should be saved to benefit the community through its re-use as a cultural center such as a museum, or for social services or housing.

Executive Director of the WBNA, Kari Lang exclaimed, “In a city where preservation is claimed to be highly valued, the historic Grove Street School is the poster child for demolition by neglect and for following the law.  This situation highlights a blatant disregard for the laws that we all live by in the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island. As Mayor Cicilline said when he came to the scene of the demolition back in 2007 ‘This isn’t the Wild, Wild West.’  I hope during this election season, the City of Providence, our elected officials, and even the candidates, will take on this case and save our school in the name of legality, as well as neighborhood preservation.”

Anne Tait, one of the neighborhood leaders of the effort to preserve the historic site said, “The Federal Hill neighborhood has seen many waves of immigration; the school should be used to celebrate our past, and our cultural heritage. We applaud the efforts of Mayor Cicilline, and are hopeful that this important building will have a second chance to serve the community.”

Several studies conducted over the past two years determined that the school is structurally sound and salvageable for re-use. One study by Charles Hagenah Architects, Inc., of Waltham, MA, includes a detailed plan and feasibility review for renovation of the Grove Street School as condominiums with green, energy efficient features such as solar panels.  Engineer and architect Wil Yoder of Providence conducted a structural review and concluded that the school building is in good and sound condition except for its southeast corner, where the previous demolition attempt compromised the exterior wall of the structure.

The building was decommissioned by the Providence Public School Department in 1980. While the site was left unused for over 30 years, its recognition as an important historic property increased. It is included as a contributing historic property in the Broadway-Armory National Register Historic District, the Industrial and Commercial Buildings District, and the Providence Preservation Society’s Endangered Properties list.

Established in 1983, the West Broadway Neighborhood Association organizes neighbors and businesses on the West Side of Providence to preserve and promote their diverse, historic, urban community as a safe, vibrant and sustainable place to live, work, and play.  For more information about the WBNA, please visit www.wbna.org or call 401.831.9344.

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