Downtown Providence Living Offers Behind-the- Scenes View of Apartments in the Heart of the City

11 Properties to be Featured Including Newly Opened Rehabilitation Projects
 
Tour 11 downtown apartment buildings, all in one afternoon! On Saturday, June 10th from 11 AM to 5 PM, The Providence Foundation and Providence Downtown Improvement District (DID) will host a Downtown Providence Living Tour to give the public an insider’s perspective on residential rental options in the neighborhood. This year, the tour will feature 95 Lofts, 225 Weybosset, Arcade Providence, Avalon at Center Place, G Reserve, Providence G, Regency Plaza, the Sampalis Building, the Telephone Building, and Westminster Lofts’ Peerless and Wilkinson buildings. All guests must start at the registration center, AS220, 115 Westminster Street, where they will pick up tour programs featuring maps and suggested itineraries. From there, guests are encouraged to walk or bike the self-guided route at their own pace, but free shuttle service and pedicab rides will also be provided.
 
The organizers have collaborated on four previous tours, most recently in fall 2015. They typically attract a broad mix of people who are interested in moving downtown and others who simply want to experience the neighborhood’s transformation up close. The tour takes place rain or shine, and tickets can be purchased in advance for $7 at downtownprovidence.com or on-site at AS220 during the tour for $10. Proceeds will benefit the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy’s restoration of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Kennedy Plaza.
 
The tour celebrates Downtown Providence’s significant residential growth and popularity among young professionals and empty nesters. According to the most recent U.S. Census, the downtown population grew 70.6% from 2000 to 2010, increasing from 2,678 to 4,569 residents. Since 2010, several new downtown properties have opened, adding more than 500 rental units to the downtown market: Arcade Providence (48 units), Providence G (55 units), George C. Arnold building (3 units), Merchants Bank building (10 units), Westminster Lofts’ Kinsley building (44 units), the second building at The Promenade (196 units), G Reserve (60 units), 32 Custom House (10 units), 95 Lofts (57 units), 225 Weybosset (12 units), and the Sampalis Building (15 units). Several other residential conversion and development projects are currently underway.
 
According to Michael DeGrandpre, vice president of the Downtown Neighborhood Association, “The Downtown Providence Living Tour is a fantastic opportunity for people to get to know our beautiful city all over again, or for the first time.  Many residents from Rhode Island remember Downtown Providence from another era, but this tour exemplifies what an incredible place the area has become for residents.  So many of our buildings have been exquisitely preserved on the outside, yet modernized with every convenience on the inside.  We look forward to sharing the wonderful assets of downtown with neighbors from near and far who are interested in seeing more of our beautiful living spaces.”
 
The Downtown Providence Living Tour is sponsored by The Providence Foundation, the Providence Downtown Improvement District, and participating properties, with additional support from ASH NYC, CORT Furniture, Craftland, The Dean Hotel, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, Mott & Chace, New Harvest Coffee Roasters, Regency Plaza, Rosalina, and Studio MEJA. The website, downtownprovidence.com, includes information about special parking event rates with validation at the Civic center Garage, 165 Washington Street.