City Of Providence history

Providence experienced prodigious growth, making it the seventh largest community in the United States by 1810, but it still operated along the town meeting form of government established by Williams and his followers.

The First Unitarian Church (1816) has the largest bell cast by Paul Revere.

In subsequent years, the city built a reputation as a manufacturing center as well as receiving its city charter, in 1832.

The Providence Athenaeum (1838) houses a collection (established 1753) of old books and paintings.

One of the longest-running controversies in the new Providence began in 1845: where to place the city hall.

Cramped for space, the city in 1853 purchased the 3rd floor from the Masons and this became the new home for the City Council, and just after the conclusion of the Civil War, the city removed the first floor tenants and remodeled the entire building for the exclusive use of city offices.

After President Abraham Lincoln issued his call for volunteers on April 15, 1861, just three days elapsed before the first artillery detachment left Providence to join the fight.

The growth of industry heralded a similar growth in population; by 1865, almost half of the city’s nearly 55,000 residents were foreign born or a child of immigrants.

By 1874, Mayor Thomas Doyle, still unhappy with the location, vetoed the plan, but that October, the City Council over-rode his veto 30 to 8.

America`s largest steam engine factory was situated in Providence and supplied the mammoth steam engine that powered exhibits at the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876.

City Hall (1886) decorated for the city’s 250th anniversary and draped to mark the passing of Mayor Thomas A. Doyle.

Electricity for lighting was introduced in 1888.

The first automobile, a steam-powered car made by A.T. Cross (the maker of fine pens and pencils), appeared in Providence in 1898.

In 1914, major alterations were made in the roof area, additional floor space provided, and the entire refitting of all offices was carried out.

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 wove a path of death and destruction through the city, with a tidal-wave like storm surge and wind gusts of more than 100 miles per hour.

Providence would no longer experience the prodigious growth of the 19th Century, reaching its population high point in 1940 with about 253,000 residents.

In 1946, the city established the Providence Redevelopment Agency to help with the decaying housing stock; which often meant destroying people’s homes.

Rebuilt by the WPA, the building was gifted to the Rhode Island School of Design in May 1948 and is currently used for offices.

In 1954, Hurricane Carol caught Rhode Island by surprise and Providence suffered a great amount of concentrated damage — upwards of $41 million.

In 1975, Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. and a group of local preservationists were successful in their effort to add City Hall to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2011, in a sign of the political strength newer immigrant groups from Latin America possess, the first Latino mayor, Dominican-American Angel Taveras, was elected.