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Council urges Brown University to pause demolition of four Fox Point houses, refers resolution to public works committee
Summary
The City Council passed a resolution opposing the demolition of four historic homes on Brook Street and asked Brown University to evaluate alternatives such as adaptive reuse; the resolution was referred to the public works committee.
The Providence City Council passed a resolution urging Brown University to pause plans to demolish four historic houses on Brook Street in Fox Point and to engage more meaningfully with neighbors about alternatives, including adaptive reuse.
A councilor described research showing two of the houses had been owned by Black families and linked the homes to local history tied to figures such as Alexander Gorham and the Fuller family. The councilor said the resolution is not anti-development but seeks preservation of the city's historic fabric and meaningful community engagement. "We're hoping that they can do so again," the councilor said, urging Brown to consider alternatives to demolition.
The council adopted the resolution by voice vote and referred item 35 to the Committee on Public Works for further study and potential action. Advocates and preservation stakeholders, including the Providence Preservation Society, were mentioned as partners in circulating a petition opposing demolition.
The referral sends the matter to committee where the council and neighbors may pursue follow-up options, including requests for the developer and university to present alternatives or a mitigation approach.
