Organizing Committee Founders Judith Tolnick Champa Debra Gallo Pamela Hughes savehistoricpawtucketcityhall.org
A tree grows, but cities are built. Pawtucket, RI Walking Tour, Blackstone River Valley Brochure, 2012
Welcome to the campaign to Save Historic Pawtucket City Hall.
P Pawtucket's iconic Art Deco City Hall, 1933-35, whose acceptance by the National Register for Historic Places was officially confirmed in 1983, is one of "the federal government’s official list of properties that are significant in American history and worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register is a great honor, and it enables owners of listed properties to apply for financial assistance for preservation projects" (as explained by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission). The Pawtucket City Hall has been named one of six Art Deco gems by the New England Historical Society, widely prized as "one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in Rhode Island." The current campaign seeks to rally the people of Pawtucket, the communities and preservation organizations of Greater Providence, the state of Rhode Island, New England region and federal government to act in unison. It challenges us to become vocal, effective opponents of its pressing, endangered status. City Hall was the first monumental civic building created by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) in Rhode Island, among the first anywhere nationally. It was designed by Rhode Island architect John F. O'Malley with consolidated fire and police departments, and an embellished tower with carved bas-relief eagles and other patterns, historic Pawtucket narratives on the pedestrian level, and additional eagles at the entrance. Despite its multiple Art Deco distinctions it has endured a long recognized problem of water infiltration. Current administration has decided—without public notice—to shift City Hall operations elsewhere in the city for an ambiguous length of time, with no certainty of that being a temporary move, no inclination nor plan for restoration and preservation, no firm pledge to return.
The campaign to Save Historic Pawtucket City Hall adamantly contests the permanent abandonment or "mothballing" of the structure that appears to be imminent. It seeks instead to identify funding to maintain intact the original historic fabric and architectural design of the most distinctive and marvelous architectural feature of metropolitan Pawtucket—the significant defining feature of its civic heritage. It aims for the structure to continue to serve as the historic City Hall for its citizenry and staff, following renovation necessitated by the long recognized, now hazardous water infiltration problem. Achieving restoration and preservation of the City Hall as a City Hall is a mandatory cultural and quality of life cause. The Save campaign seeks to motivate and unite all Pawtucket and Greater Providence residents, preservation organizations, and those federal resources well beyond the immediate communities, to band together in advocacy to prevent forfeiture of a widely recognized, uniquely important historic structure of the city of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Join us to receive news
Media, Articles and Links in progress NATIONAL REGISTER ARCHIVE