Narragansett Electric DC Building

Constructed:
PPS Ten Most: 2000
Building Type: Industrial/Warehouse
Trend:

The Narragansett Electric Building is located at 146 Dyer Street at the banks of the Woonasquatucket River that runs through downtown Providence. It is significant as the one of the only remaining warehouses left over from Providence’s days as a major seaport. The two-story, brick building was built at the turn of the nineteenth-century by a Scotsman named Alexander Duncan for use as a warehouse. The building was purchased at the turn of twentieth-century by Narragansett Electric when electric power was more of novelty rather than necessity.

The building, which is still owned by Narragansett Electric, was included on PPS’s 2003 Ten Most Endangered List because of its extreme disrepair. The building, no longer useful as a power plant, has been vacant for many years. Complicating matters, the building is contaminated.

Alexander Duncan Warehouse (ca. 1800): 2-story, brick structure with corbel cornice and slate hip roof; polychrome stone relieving arches over 2nd-story windows; original loading bays on first story now blocked down. Duncan, a Scotsman, came to America in 1822 and married Cyrus Butler's niece; he was associated in business with Butler in Providence during the 1840s and also served as President of the Providence and Worcester Railroad Company. While he removed to England during the Civil War, he maintained real-estate interests in RI building both this warehouse and the nearby Hay Block at 121 Dyer. It served as a harborside warehouse until purchased by Narragansett Electric around the turn of the century.


UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2007 STILL STRUGGLING: Narragansett Electric has recently made significant repairs to the roof of the Narragansett Electric DC Building and is working to stabilize the structure. Despite no immediate plans for its restoration, the relocation of I-195 and subsequent development downtown will likely bode well for the building’s future. PPS hopes that increased interest in the rehabilitation of former industrial buildings, in addition to the building’s proximity to the downtown area, will encourage private investment in the structure.

Return to the 2000 Most Endangered Properties List