Greater City Providence

Photos: Weybosset Street Comfort Station coming down

Photos from lunchtime today of the Weybosset Street Comfort Station coming down.

Weybosset Street Comfort Station

Weybosset Street Comfort Station

Weybosset Street Comfort Station

Weybosset Street Comfort Station

Weybosset Street Comfort Station

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

10 comments

  • I’m sorry that the only part of this little building that will remain is the earliest piece, which is the tower like form, but I am glad that it, will in fact, remain and be incorporated into the new streetscape of Weybosset Street. I will not miss the well-intentioned. if oversized, police kiosk which was attached to the back of this beautifully detailed and imaginative little building in the Cianci Era.

    Providence Preservation Society will post a rendering on our website (as soon as we determine to whom credit for the image should be given of the proposed reconfiguration of Weybosset Street showing the tower.

  • re: thumbnail – that is about the ugliest page of drawings in the history of urban design. Who did them – an eighth grader for her/his community service project ?

    The tree wells are hideously ugly and a poor substitute for the generous urbanity of the large planters that were removed with provided for large trees and extensive linear feet of areas for sitting and casual encounters.

    We think Kennedy Plaza is an ugly failure ? Wait until this is done.

  • How depressing. I’m sure having two way traffic and more parking will be worth it though. Oh and the drop off for PPAC.

  • Shall I park on the street and walk to PPAC like a poor person? I think not! /sarcasm

  • Cianci ruined the comfort station decades ago with the over-sized police sub-station addition. I went by the site as they were doing the work yesterday and it appeared that part of the tower’s surface was damaged by the demo.

  • This design leaves does leave open the possibility of replacing the turning lanes with a median that would improve the pedestrian experience of crossing the streets and force slower traffic patterns.

    The placement of the tower median provides an example for duplication down the road.

  • Maybe they can get the cupola that sits at the back of the brown field from the demoed athletic complex on elmgrove. to have truly matching medians…

  • Hi Jeff
    I was born and raised in Providence and pretty much lived in Downtown as a teenager during the 1980’s .
    As a small child my grandfather owned a newsstand on Washington St. right in front of what used to be Honorbilt men’s clothing and Dons smoke shop.
    I’m not sure what the cross street is but it’s all part of the building on the same block as the Sheppard building.
    Do you have any idea where or how I might find photos of the newsstand?

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