Victory in City Effort to Stop Illegal Demolition of Historic School
Friday, August 27, 2010
A state panel has upheld a Providence city ruling that the owners of a historic school have to maintain the building, according to an announcement from the West Broadway Neighborhood Association.
Since 2007, the city has been embroiled with a dispute with Michael Tarro and other members of his family who own the historic Grove Street School after the Tarros attempted to illegally demolish the school. This month the State Building Code Standards Committee Board of Appeals delivered another win for the city—backing up the city building official’s decision that the owners have to “stabilize and secure” the building.
“In a city where preservation is highly valued, the historic Grove Street School is the unfortunate poster child for demolition-by-neglect. 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,” said Kari Lang, Executive Director of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“As Mayor Cicilline said when he came to the scene of the demolition back in 2007 ‘This isn’t the Wild, Wild West,’” she added. “I hope during this election season, the City of Providence, our elected officials and the candidates will work to save this building in the name of legality as well as neighborhood preservation.”
The Grove Street Elementary School is one of the last five remaining grammar schools that was built to serve the growing immigrant population on Federal Hill in 1900. The building was de-commissioned as a school by the city in 1980.
