A New Gateway for Pawtuxet Village – Architecture Critic Morgan
Saturday, January 23, 2021
The new apartment and commercial block planned by Anthony Albanese, Jr., along the river in the heart of Pawtuxet Village is good news. That the old Hunter's Garage and a one-time blacksmith shop will be replaced with a lively commercial venture is also an indicator of how increasingly popular that community has become. While not as far from Providence as Bristol or Newport, the village at the confluence of the Pawtuxet River and Narragansett Bay has become a destination, even a hot spot.
With its placid harbor, river falls, and collection of early houses, the neighborhood–part in Cranston and part in Warwick–is one of the gems with which the state abounds and which makes us feel lucky to call Rhode Island home. Although lacking the cachet of better-known seaside towns, Pawtuxet Village is as historic as it is picturesque.
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Pawtuxet was a competitive 18th-century port, active in the Triangle Trade. A fort was built here to protect the harbor during the Revolutionary War, but harnessing the river changed the village's fortunes from maritime to manufacturing. There was a giant textile mill at the falls until it burned in 1875.
Throughout its history, Pawtuxet Village's location on the Post Road, the main artery between New York and Boston, has always been the town's economic lifeline. There were four taverns in this hamlet in the 18th century, and that tradition continues today with the many restaurants along the main street. During warm weather, diners and barflies fill the outdoor terraces of several eateries around the bridge.
Those in search of an ideal waterside dining spot probably do not care that much about history, but the physical aspects that form Pawtuxet Village unconsciously make it so appealing.
The river and the cove create scenic views and contain development. The bridge that connects the village's two halves acts as a funnel and concentrates the density necessary for a pleasant strolling and people watching experience. The mostly two-story and mostly wooden houses provide a real sense of a town center.
18th-century houses on the Post Road, Warwick side; old garage in middle distance. PHOTO: Will Morgan
At three stories tall, the proposed apartment and commercial block will not disrupt the scale of the area (the current garage has a footprint of 4,500 square feet, while the development will displace 13,000 square feet). While the community has expressed concern over the seemingly large size of the project, the location could support a larger building. This would visually anchor its end of the bridge, and offer more rentable space.
The win-win project is by Eric Zuena and ZDS Architecture. Overlooking the Post Road and the falls, the site is magnificent; it represents an opportunity to be far more than just another building. Anything put here will be the fulcrum of the village, so it needs to be more special than a traditional house with a mansard roof.
The project will go through reviews to address issues of traffic, parking, environmental impact, zoning. So there's time to realize a stronger architectural design for Pawtuxet Village's premier location, time to literally push the envelope.
It does not need to be knock-your-socks-off-modern, nor does it need to evoke any historical style. A possible direction, nevertheless, could be a nod to the textile mill that was here: Not a copy, but a bolder, sleeker, and more simplified mass. The cleaner outline of an industrially inspired block, might offer more space and at less cost.
William Morgan was trained at Dartmouth and Columbia; he has taught at Princeton, Louisville, and Brown. The author of more than a dozen books on architecture, his writing has twice been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
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