Shepard Company Building

The Shepard Company Building is an historic building at 259 Westminster Street, 72-92 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. A prominent landmark in the Providence downtown, it occupies an entire city block, and housed Shepard's, one of New England's largest department stores, for many decades.

Shepard Company Building
Westminster Street entrance
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°49′24″N 71°24′50″W
ArchitectMartin & Hall
Part ofDowntown Providence Historic District (ID84001967)
NRHP reference No.76000003[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 11, 1976
Designated CPFebruary 10, 1984

History

The building grew in stages, starting as a modest three-story Italianate structure at the corner of Clemence and Washington in 1880. Beginning in 1896 the company embarked on a rapid expansion, designed by Martin & Hall, which was largely completed by 1903. By 1909, the store boasted of having a restaurant which could serve 4100, a laundry, a refrigerating and ice-making plant, a fur storage room, and a complete printing plant.[2]

The building was struck by fire in March 1923, causing over one million dollars worth of damage,[3] but rebuilt under Hall's supervision.[4]

The department store was hurt by the development of suburbs and shopping malls in the 1960s.[5] In 1973 the store went bankrupt and was purchased by the Eastern Dry Goods Company.[6] A spokesperson for Eastern Dry Goods told The New York Times in September 1973 that the store "will probably have to be liquidated because of their many problems."[6]

The store closed for good in 1974.[5] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[1][5]

During the next few years the building was leased to various tenants, and was vacant in the early 1990s.[5]

In 1993, it was announced that the landmark building was purchased by the Rhode Island Port Authority for "nearly $2.3 million."[5] The announced plan was to open a history museum on the first two floors, to be operated by the Rhode Island Heritage Center.[5] The remainder of the building would be used as office space for up to 500 state workers, including the state Environmental Management Department, the Council on the Arts, and the Library Services department.[5]

The building is currently owned by the State of Rhode Island and houses the Feinstein Campus of the University of Rhode Island, the Providence Campus of the Community College of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Education, and other state offices.[7]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Downtown: The Shephards Building". ProvidenceArchitecture.org. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. "Big Fire in Providence". The New York Times. 9 March 1923. p. 17. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  4. "NRHP nomination for Shepard Company Building" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
  5. Abbott, Elizabeth (24 March 1993). "Real Estate: A department store building that once was the heart of downtown Providence gets a new life". The New York Times. p. D19. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. Barmash, Isadore (21 September 1973). "Olen is Advoser to Eastern Dry Goods". The New York Times. pp. 57, 64. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. "Driving Directions". URI Providence. Retrieved 2014-10-29.


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