Butcher Block Mill Opens in Jobs District
Friday, March 25, 2011
Providence’s Eastern Butcher Block Mill is preparing for occupancy in the Promenade "Jobs District." The building is the revitalized historic Joseph Banigan/United States Rubber Company Mill (1896 to 1910).
The first phase of the Butcher Block Mill, located at 25 Eagle Street, has been renovated into a mixed-use community of 24 commercial units for affordable rental space to small creative and industrial start-up businesses alongside five true Live/Work units.
“This is a similar model to our current projects, located at Conley's Wharf and the Nicholson File Building, where we have 56 commercial tenants that employ 147 full-time and 42 part-time jobs,” said Rachel Rafaelian, a project partner of Butcher Block, LLC, along with Erik Bright. “It is our firm belief that this development will complement the industrial character and much of the recent historic preservation work in the Promenade District - soon to be a "Jobs District" in the new Comprehensive Plan for the City,” she added.
The building is currently listed on the National Register, and it has been renovated utilizing National Park Service guidelines, using Federal Historic Tax credits to finance the project. The developer also factored in several uses of green materials, including solar panels and a rainwater recapture system.
“We feel that this project strongly fits the intent of the City’s new Comprehensive Plan for the area,” said Bright. “One of the priorities of this project is to provide accessible, affordable space for small start-up businesses which would result in the creation of sustainable jobs in Providence. We believe it supports long-term economic growth and it is our intent to partner with educational institutions throughout Providence in an effort to provide adequate space for entrepreneurial graduates and to help stimulate the creative economy,” he added.
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