Gately Building
The Gately Building is a historic commercial building at 337–353 Main Street[2] (alternatively given as 335 Main St[3] or 2 Bayley St.)[4] in downtown Pawtucket, Rhode Island The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.[1] In 2015, the property was renovated into a 13-unit apartment building.[4]
Gately Building | |
The building before renovation into apartments | |
Location | Pawtucket, Rhode Island |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°52′40.6986″N 71°23′14.8446″W |
Built | 1914 |
MPS | Pawtucket MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 12000135[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 20, 2012 |
Style
The three story flatiron building was built in 1914 to fill in a triangular lot on the fringe of the city's central business district.[5] It has a flat roof, a steel frame, and is clad in brick with granite and marble trim, with a granite foundation[5] and cast iron fronts on the first floor.[2] Its Colonial Revival styling dates to alterations in the 1930s converting its ground-floor retail spaces into a single banking center.[2] The floor space is about 5,000 square feet on each floor.[5] Large windows surround the building on all sides.[3]
History
The building was commissioned by Anne E. Gately (b. 1854), heiress to the Gately furniture and clothing store.[5] She purchased the building which previously stood on this lot, had it demolished, and the current building constructed.[5] Architect Albert H. Humes was superintendent of construction, although it is not known if he also designed the building.[5]
When it was opened in 1914, the ground floor was home to four street-level storefronts.[3][5] By 1935, the Old Colony Cooperative Bank occupied the entire first floor.[3] The building also contained offices of The Providence Journal newspaper[3] and a dental office; the latter being the building's longest tenant, from 1941 to 1986.[5]
The building stood vacant and neglected from 1993 to 2015, slowly deteriorating and becoming a detriment to neighborhood development.[4]
Conversion to residences
In 2015, money from the state's 2012 affordable housing bond was used to convert the building to a housing complex with 13 rental units and community space.[4][3] The renovation restored the building to its original historic appearance.[3][4] In September 2016, the building was praised by Governor Gina Raimondo and Mayor Donald Grebien as a successful example of how affordable housing bonds can revitalize neighborhoods and create jobs.[4]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- "Minutes of the RI Historical Preservation Commission Meeting, November 9, 2011" (PDF). State of Rhode Island. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
- Shorey, Ethan (17 March 2015). "Pride being restored to historic Gately Building". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- Shorey, Ethan (20 September 2016). "Gately Building highlighted as affordable housing success story". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form" (PDF). 26 January 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2015.