Despite the popular misconception, the figure that hangs under the arch as you ascend Atwells Avenue onto Federal Hill is not a pineapple, but a pinecone. A symbol for abundance and quality, the pinecone, or, La Pigna, is a nod to the rich Italian culture that has dominated “The Hill” since immigrants began to arrive there in the late 19th century.

Atwells Avenue is perhaps the best neighborhood to go to for a meal in the Renaissance City and it boasts 15 different Italian restaurants from which to choose. Reinforcing the Italian connection, running through the center of the neighborhood are green, white, and red traffic lines that follow Atwells Avenue, a thoroughfare named for the man who once owned the land now known as Federal Hill. That man, Amos Maine Atwell, was not Italian, but he was a prominent figure in the town during his time. Atwell was born in 1765 to Amos and Betty (Searle) Atwell. His father, a Providence blacksmith, merchant, and ship-owner, was known for building the first brick house in the town. In 1788, when the town existed almost completely on the east side of Providence River, Atwell began to parcel out his land on the west side and sell it for agricultural and residential use. The younger Atwell was known for his service as colonel in the American Revolution and his membership in the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1790-91. In 1789, Atwell was one of over 75 charter members of the Providence Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers, a group created for “the purpose of promoting industry, and giving a just encouragement to ingenuity – that our own manufactures may be improved to the general advantage, not only of the manufacturers themselves, but of the state at large.” According to the Providence Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers, Atwell was regarded as one of the “brightest [stars] in the galaxy of Rhode Island Masonry” for his service to the Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 4. Because of his status as the first Master of the Lodge (1799) as well as Deputy Grand Master (1813-1814) he was buried with full Masonic honors after he passed away in 1815. At that time there were virtually no Italian immigrants in Providence, and in fact, it was the Irish community that occupied most of Federal Hill and Atwells Avenue. However, as the 19th century progressed, Italian immigrants made their way onto The Hill, and by the 1920s, the area was predominantly Italian.

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Grand and distinct, the John Brown House’s imposing federalist façade befits Providence’s most influential family. This 1788 mansion belonged to the wealthiest and most successful entrepreneur of his age: John Brown. A China trade merchant, slave trader, privateer, and Son of Liberty, John Brown Is also well known for his role as an instigator in the 1772 sinking of the Gaspee. John Brown (1736-1803) was one of six children born to James Brown II and Hope Power, of whom only four lived to adulthood: John, Nicholas, Moses, and Joseph.

Known for seeking enterprise anywhere he could, John Brown made his fortune as a slave trader, China trade merchant, real-estate speculator, shipbuilder, and privateer. The subject of slavery came to be a source of great turmoil within the Brown family. Seeking profit among the hundreds of Africa-bound slave ships leaving Rhode Island, the Brown family contracted the Sally in 1764. Captained by Esek Hopkins, the Sally’s voyage was crippled by delays, violent uprisings, and sickness among those held captive. The venture ended in disaster and the experience dissuaded John’s brothers from ever again directly involving themselves in the trade, though John went on to finance at least four additional voyages. He later was the first American to be tried and convicted for continuing his involvement in the slave trade, in violation of the Slave Trade Act passed by Congress in 1794.

A fierce individualist, John Brown helped found and lead the Sons of Liberty in Rhode Island. During the American Revolution, John Brown supplied the newly established Continental Navy with its very first ship, the USS Providence. Elected to 5th United States Congress in 1799, John Brown served as Rhode Island’s representative from 1799 to 1801.

Commanding an indomitable view upon College Hill at 52 Power Street, John Brown’s house now serves as a national historic landmark and house-museum. Above all, John Brown’s intended his home to communicate his status to other early American elites. From its grand wrap-around stairways, to its finely crafted ornamental archways, to its gilded and painted wallpaper, the home is a testament to the sheer material wealth and status that was to be expected of Rhode Island’s founding merchant dynasty.

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Since 1978, contemporary artists and art enthusiasts have enjoyed the use of the Bannister Gallery, located within Roberts Hall at Rhode Island College. The space is named for famed African-American landscape artist, and Rhode Island resident, Edward Mitchell Bannister. While the gallery bears his name, it does not focus on his art. Rather, the gallery serves as an open space for various modes of contemporary art, and also as a learning space for students and visitors to study artistic forms and conventions.

Born in Canada in 1828, Edward Bannister is celebrated as the first African American artist to have received a major award for his work. He earned national recognition for his Bronze-Prize contribution, “Under the Oaks," at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial (an award that was nearly “reconsidered” by judges upon learning Bannister's racial background).

His professional artistic career began in the 1850s and continued well into the 1880s, despite hostility from contemporary white critics who believed that African Americans, while capable of appreciating art, were most definitely incapable of producing it. However, to many within Providence and the greater New England artistic community, he was celebrated as among the most notable landscape painters of his time. Though Bannister was actively committed to the abolitionist movement prior to and during the Civil War, and later to the greater fight for African-American civil rights, he kept such themes and political issues out of his painting, choosing instead to explore pristine beauty and rich detail through solemn impressionism and other classical styles.

The Bannister Gallery emerged out of the newly found acceptance and appreciation for African-American contributions that grew out of the Civil Rights Movement. The Gallery’s dedication in November 1978 was a major event that, in effect, made a public vow to acknowledge and value the contributions of art and artists from all backgrounds, racial or otherwise. Looking to emphasize Rhode Island solidarity in this effort, the ceremony was attended by various public officials, along with representatives of the Rhode Island Historical Society and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.

The gallery presently hosts monthly exhibitions during the academic year and one exhibit during summer. In addition, the gallery regularly hosts presentations by artists, curators, performance artists and other guest lecturers. Above all, the overarching theme might be said to revolve around the countless utilities of art, and in particular its use in stimulating socio-political dialogue and critical thought.

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Built in 1822, the Allendale Mill on Woonasquatucket Avenue currently serves as apartment housing for the North Providence community. Although the building’s existing structure provides hints of its historic past, most simply ignore it as just another defunct mill, unaware that both its design and operation served as a model for later textile mills.

The man behind its construction was Providence luminary and civic leader, Zachariah Allen, born 1795. He was a founder of the Providence Athenaeum and the Rhode Island Historical Society, as well as a trustee of Butler Hospital. A successful legal professional and respected author, Allen constructed Allendale Mill out of a desire to return to his family’s roots in manufacturing woolen textiles.

Allen was as much innovator and inventor as academic and businessman. Learning from the failures and deficiencies of past and present textile mills, Allen’s design for Allendale was way ahead of its time.

The entire structure was designed from the ground up around a single key element: fire safety. Allendale’s double-thick floors, complex staggered-framing, general floorplan and original slate shingles all contributed to the plan for the “slow-burning mill,” a term attributed to Allendale and later applied to other mills that used such a design.

In addition to its safer construction, Allendale was at the forefront in terms of practical and accessible fire protection for workers. Among Allendale’s signature hallmarks was its own hydrant and sprinkler system, which complemented industrial-grade pumps and water-hoses situated at ‘hot-spot’ locations throughout the mill.

Allen believed that his commitment to providing a safer work environment would constitute lower insurance premiums for his mills, but his insurers disagreed. Thus, Allen decided he would need to form his own insurance company. Together with other like-minded business owners, Allen collaborated with the Boston Mutual Insurance Company to form the Allendale Insurance Company. This new firm would deal only with manufacturers that held their facilities to the highest standards in construction, maintenance, and quality, and would use the Mill at Allendale as a benchmark for further industry standards that would help to shape the development of modern workplace fire codes and regulations that continue to safeguard workers today.

Allen’s insurance enterprise continues to operate as FM Global, headquartered in Johnston, RI.

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There are a few things that Rhode Island lacks: adequate parking at the beach, pothole-free streets, and enough Del’s to go around. One thing it does not lack however is prominent figures with the last name “Brown.” To be fair, it was a Brown that co-founded Providence; it was the Brown family that helped bring the school (Rhode Island College) that would become the university to its current location; and it was a Brown that brought the father of the American Industrial Revolution, Samuel Slater, to Rhode Island. But it is often unclear who in this large and influential family was Brown University’s namesake. That would be businessman and philanthropist, Nicholas Brown, Jr. Nicholas Brown, Jr. was born in Providence on April 7, 1769, to Nicholas Brown and Rhoda (Jenckes) Brown. After graduating in 1786 from the school that would eventually bear his name, Brown entered the family mercantile business and worked under his father. Following his father’s death in 1791, the younger Brown partnered with fellow Providence businessman Thomas P. Ives, and together they formed the firm of Brown & Ives – a mercantile partnership that would become one of the longest-lived and most respected trading entities in New England of its time. The idea of a religiously-tolerant institution was conceptualized in 1762 by a Baptist Reverend, James Manning, and two years later Rhode Island College became a reality. Originally located in Warren, the school moved to Providence in 1770 with financial help from the “Brown Brothers”: Joseph, Nicholas (Sr.), John, and Moses. After his uncle, John Brown, resigned his position as treasurer of Rhode Island College in 1796, Brown, Jr. was selected to fill the vacant seat. After Brown, Jr. was elected to the seat, he donated a law library of “considerable extent and value” and paid for several works of great English literature to be added. Years later, in 1804, Brown, Jr. donated $5,000 to the school to be put towards a Rhetoric and Oratory program. Because of his generous donation, school officials renamed the institution “Brown University.” Brown University is a part of the eight-member Ivy League and one of the oldest colleges in the country.  

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Known more for his impact after death than for any particular achievement in life, Providence native Ebenezer Knight Dexter remains one of the city’s most influential figures, having bequeathed the majority of his estate to the town for the establishment of a military training ground and an almshouse for the poor.

Born in Providence on April 26, 1773, Dexter enjoyed the advantages that came with being a member of a prominent, wealthy family. His mother, Phebe Harris, and father, Colonel Knight Dexter, both had family that dated back to the original settlers of Providence, and his father was a part of the town’s business elite. In his younger years, Ebenezer acquainted himself with several prominent men, including Rhode Island Governor James Fenner, U.S. District Court Judge David Howell, and Rhode Island Senator David Howell, Jr. In addition to his successful career in real estate and trade, his connections to Rhode Island’s political elite helped him to gain the position as U.S. Marshal for Rhode Island.

Because of his success in business, Dexter was able to retire at an early age. In retirement he lived quietly, and it was not until his death in 1824 that he made his biggest impact on Providence. In his will, Dexter left the town of Providence two separate plots of land that were to be used for the benefit of those living in the area. One, a nine-acre lot on the West Side, between Cranston Street and High Street, became the Dexter Training Ground and per his wishes, was to be used as a gathering spot for townspeople and as a training site for the state militia. Notable uses of the site include the failed attack by the Dorrites during the Dorr Rebellion in 1842 (the fuse to the cannon, aimed at the state arsenal, was extinguished by mist in the air), and as the point of muster for the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored) during the Civil War in 1863.

The second plot of land that Dexter left to the town was his 40-acre Neck Farm on Providence’s East Side. Feeling “an ardent desire to ameliorate the condition of the poor, and to contribute to their comfort and relief,” Dexter wanted an institution built on the property that would aid the destitute of Providence. For 129 years, Dexter Asylum gave food, shelter, and opportunity to the city’s poorest citizens, in exchange for their labor. In 1957 the property was sold to Brown University and the buildings were demolished soon thereafter. All that remains today of Providence’s first indoor relief facility is the imposing eight-foot high, three-foot thick stone wall, built in 1832 to surround the asylum.

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Encased deep within the historical foundations of Providence is the neighborhood of Olneyville. Originally established as Olneyville Square in the 18th century, the area prospered as a market for both European settlers and nearby Narragansett Indians.

Christopher Olney owned the 95 acres of farmland that now exists as the approximately half square-mile section of Providence called Olneyville. A Revolutionary War captain, Christopher Olney began as a major in the Providence County militia and rose to the rank of colonel prior to the start of the war. He secured the longevity of Olneyville Square through the establishment of Christopher Olney & Company, which operated two paper mills and a gristmill along the Woonasquatucket River. Picking up momentum, the neighborhood continued to expand rapidly during and after the Revolutionary War, and before long, Olneyville was viable. Olney’s large foundries allowed for production in metallurgy and other industries that carried the local economy well into the Industrial Revolution.

In the 19th century, Olneyville’s central railway junction and abundance of millwork attracted aspiring Americans from all over the globe, sewing the multicultural roots that would develop into the pluralistic identity that Providence embodies.

Today, Olneyville continues to stand as a dynamic and vibrant community, known for its rich and diverse heritage, and its pride as a cultural center for artistic expression in the Providence area. Consequently, this influx of young, creative and wealthier residents has given rise to a new issue: gentrification. Its two-faced impact on the local area has been met with both warmth and contempt. On the one hand, the new residents bring economic capital, which aids in local development. On the other hand, the increased economic and cultural activity has driven up the cost of living substantially, forcing longtime residents to find less expensive housing elsewhere.

Situated within the neighborhood is the WaterFire Arts Center on Valley Street. Repurposed from a former 1920s US Rubber factory, the multipurpose facility now serves as a space where artists can seek to express their creativity and interact with the community at large. Among their best-known productions is WaterFire Providence, which features a riverboat lighting, live music, food, and entertainment for the whole family.

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