Greater City: Providence » Colleges/Universities

Hey! We’re wicked smaht!

Jef Nickerson — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:43:42 +0000

Rob Pitingolo has run an analysis of the 50 largest metro areas in the country measuring the density per square miles of college graduates*. Providence comes out looking pretty damn smart according to this metric, ranking 8th, just below Minneapolis.

Click to enlarge

I compiled the data at two geographic levels: first at the city level and second at the “urban county” level. I realize that comparing these geographies is not always entirely fair. That’s why I’m giving away the spreadsheet with all of my work to anyone who wants to build upon this analysis (download it here). I picked these cities by looking at the 50 largest metro areas by population and pulling what I deemed to be the “primary city” from each. In two metro areas, the Twin Cities and Bay Area, I pulled two “primary cities.”

Originally from, and lots of comments at, The Atlantic

* As an art school drop out, I’m not sure that this is the best metric of smartiness. But I also can’t think of another good indicator, thoughts?

Johnson & Wales scales back plans for Route 195 land

Jef Nickerson — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:38:57 +0000

Johnson & Wales University has scaled back their plans for land to be vacated by the removal of Route 195, according to the Providence Journal.

The University originally sought 4 acres of the Route 195 land for campus expansion including a hotel. The school now seeks to buy 1.5 acres of land in the area near Friendship and Chestnut Streets. The school says it has the money to commence construction as soon as the land becomes available in 2012.

Building Brown… and URI… and RIC

Jef Nickerson — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:20:44 +0000

One of our Facebook fans shared this link with us.

A 40-minute video of Brown University’s assistant vice president for planning, design and construction, Michael McCormick discussing Browns recent campus building and near future plans, including much on the Jewelry District plans. There is a link to a 10-minute condenced version to give you the gist of what he had to say. The video is not embedable, so you’ll have to follow the link over to Brown’s site to view it.

In other Jewelry District News, ProJo reports today that URI and RIC are planning to team up to build a Nursing School on a portion of the land being vacated by Route 195 in the Jewelry District. The plan requires approval by the General Assembly to post a bond measure to voters.

If approved, construction could start in 2012 and be completed by 2013.

URI and RIC each seperately had plans to build nursing schools and will save $10 million by teaming up to build one $60 million facility in the capital city.

URI’s new President, David M. Dooley has stated that he would like to increase the university’s presense in Providence.

RIAC Intermodal Facility naming contest for college and university students

gcpvd — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:45:59 +0000

Colleges and Universities Invited to Participate in Intermodal Marketing Contest
Rhode Island Airport Corporation Launches Contest

Warwick, Rhode Island ( March 3, 2010) – The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC), together with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has launched a contest to develop a branding/marketing name for the Intermodal Facility.

The contest seeks to engage students in Rhode Island Colleges and Universities with concentrations in business, marketing and/or communications in creating a branding of the Intermodal Facility. Names and taglines must take into account both local and regional feel and convey multi-modal transportation connectivity to Green Airport. The Intermodal will integrate trains, planes, buses, cars and planes. This is not to be confused with any future proposal for a formal name to the public facility.

Students are asked to provide a name and tagline accompanied by an essay of 1000 words or less with a rationale for their submission. Finalists will be selected and asked to present proposals before a selection committee.

(...)
Read the rest of RIAC Intermodal Facility naming contest for college and university students (266 words)

© Greater City: Providence, 2010 | Permalink | 2 comments |

So what’s the deal with these bridge signs?

Jef Nickerson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:22:51 +0000

Reader submitted photo

I noticed this sign a couple weeks ago and forgot about it until a reader sent in a photo of it. These signs appear on either side of Weybosset Street outside the RISD Mason/Fletcher Building. It is obviously some sort of RISD thing, but what is the message?

A few years ago someone put up a sign with renderings of a pedestrian bridge over Memorial Boulevard outside RISD’s 15West Building. Then the commentary behind the sign was the dangerousness of pedestrians crossing Memorial Boulevard. What is the commentary behind this sign, anyone get the scoop?

Building Brown

Jef Nickerson — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:08:08 +0000

ProJo takes a look at Brown’s scaled back development plans for Providence. Let’s take a closer look at the actual projects.

Creative Arts Center

Rendering view from Olive Street, from Building Brown

Officially known as the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the arts center is being built between the Brown Office Building and the Brown Walk on Angell Street up on College Hill. The $40 million arts center is designed by Diller + Scofidio, the same architects that designed the new Institute of Contemporary Arts in Boston. According to Brown the center will include a recital hall, recording studio, multi-media lab and studios. The 3-story builing is in-progress now with an expected completion late next year.

Aquatics and Fitness Center

Rendering from Building Brown

The Aquatics and Fitness Center is also being built up on College Hill on the grounds of the Erickson Athletic Complex. The $40 million project is a scaled back version of a larger 2-building proposal.

Brown describes the new center:

The new Aquatics and Fitness Center will feature a 50 meter competition pool with a diving well. It will include 800 spectator seats. In addition to this state of the art pool, the center will have fitness areas, dance studios, locker rooms and administrative offices. A lobby featuring a cafe and lounge space will serve the Brown community.

Most of the parking fronting Hope Street currently will be replaced by a new quad. Construction is expected to commence this summer with a completion in late fall of 2011.

(...)
Read the rest of Building Brown (510 words)

Brown University Alpert Medical School

Jef Nickerson — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:47:43 +0000

Rendering from Brown University by Ellenzweig Associates

The Corporation of Brown University met on Saturday and approved plans for the renovations of 222 Richmond Street in the Jewelry District turning the building into the Alpert Medical School. Pre-recession plans called for the university to construct a new building near Rhode Island Hospital to house the medical school. After the school’s endowment lost $740 million the school started rethinking expansion plans, including the medical school. Since the recession, the university has been focused on renovating existing properties.

The university hopes to begin the $45 million renovation of the 135,000 square foot facility early next year (pending city approval of the plans) and open the building in August of 2011. The university touts the economic impact of the project for the state:

According to an independent analysis by Appleseed, Inc. of New York, renovation of the medical education building will directly create nearly 350 temporary jobs in the construction trades and related industries and, through a multiplier effect, will support an additional 200 jobs and generate $26.2 million of economic output throughout the state.

Also at Saturday’s meeting, the Corporation reviewed a report from planning architect Frances Halsband outlining a framework for the university’s construction and renovation within the Jewelry District.

The set of planning principles and design concepts she presented would help establish a pattern for development that would integrate the University with the neighborhood, contribute to a more vibrant community, and support ongoing efforts to spur economic growth.

The Corporation reviewed plans for enhancements in the Jewelry District. Ideas under consideration include wider sidewalks for Richmond Street, better landscaping, improved signage, and additional retail.

A coherent, consistent and well-crafted plan for developing its properties in the Jewelry District — particularly the new medical education building and the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine at 70 Ship St. — will contribute to the revitalization of an important Providence neighborhood and will help build the Knowledge Economy in Providence.

…emphasis added.

Related:
Brown OKs new $45M medical school HQ [Providence Business News]
Corporation Approves Schematics for Medical School Education Building [Brown University Media Relations]
Corporation members discuss priorities, outlook for tough times [Brown Daily Herald]
Brown Medical School to Relocate to Jewelry District [GC:PVD]

More on Capitol Cove

Jef Nickerson — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:12:38 +0000

Photo by Jef Nickerson

Recently we speculated about the rumor running around town that Johnson & Wales had bought the (not yet complete) Capitol Cove condominiums on Canal Street in Capital Center. Today we have a copy of Johnson & Wales’ lease .

The lease runs for 3 years starting August 1, 2009 and ending July 31, 2012 with an option to extend for 2 years at the end of the lease. It stipulates that the building is to be used to house students enrolled at Johnson & Wales, Johnson & Wales faculty or staff, or “any persons attending any program sponsored from time to time by the Tenant [Johnson & Wales].” In addition to the building located at One Park Row West, the University will be provided with parking for “110 automobiles in a segregated area on adjacent land known as Providence Assessor’s Plat 4 Lots 262 and/or 263.” In English that means surface parking on the area not occupied by the building.

In the Capital Center Special Development District Design and Development Regulations* (As Adopted By The Capital Center Commission On February 13, 2003) the section on the Moshassuck Subdistrict (which includes Capitol Cove) states:

3.3.E Parking and Service
Parking and building servicing shall be internal to the structure. Parking shall be accommodated below grade, or, if above grade, parking and service shall not be visible from the street. Any above street level parking shall be screened from public view and architecturally integrated into the building.

Capitol Cove may well have received relief from this from the Capital Center Commission, however, should that relief carry over from their condo proposal to this new use? Also, the building has structured parking, why should it need surface parking? Seeing as this parking is part of the lease agreement, it would indicate that future development of the remaining parts of parcel 6 can now be considered on hold until at least the middle of 2012.

Looking through the ProJo website, the last reference I can find on Capitol Cove is a story from January 11th on the condo sales slump. In that article developer Robert Roth stated that four units had pre-sold at Capitol Cove and that they expected 4 to 6 units per month to sell once the project was complete. As it turned out, by late March, they’d thrown in the towel and signed a lease with Johnson & Wales.

There’s still more questions to be answered about this development and we will continue to see what we can uncover.

* I can’t find this document posted online right now, but I had it saved on my computer, because I’m a big geek like that.