La Broa' | El Fogón
December27 ,2019 Filed in:
Gentrification
In July of 2019, the City of Providence Planning Office | Providence Redevelopment Agency (PRA) sent out a Request for Quotation (RFQ) as follows:
The Providence Redevelopment Agency is pleased to announce the acquisition of the long-vacant former “El Fogón” site on Broad Street to make way for a new gateway and visitor’s center to Roger Williams Park. With funding support through the Property Acquisition and Revitalization Program at Rhode Island Housing, we are currently seeking submittals from qualified firms for architectural and engineering services for this exciting project.
On Thursday, October 24th of that same year, an invitation was sent to folks they consider “stakeholders” for a community meeting to review the selected designs and offer feedback. The meeting was held at the
Bomes Theater (1017 Broad Street) and as a “stakeholder” I was invited to review design ideas for what is being referred to as the Roger Williams Park Gateway Center, to be constructed adjacent to the Broad Street entrance to Roger Williams Park.
El Fogón is what you see before you cross the border across
El Puente de La Broa’ and the Broad Street businesses district. It has sat empty for over eight years — indeed to many residents, it has been a symbol of how deeply the neighborhood has deteriorated.
The future RWP Gateway Center and this location are not just a gateway to the park, but this is also the gateway to the Latino Cultural Corridor on La Broa’ as you enter heading Northward.
Is the City of Providence trying to erase or create new borders in this community? Only the final design and how they approach its implementation will tell …
2022 Update ➤
