Equitable Building and Wilcox Building

Equitable Building and Wilcox Building

Pictured on the left, the Equitable Building (1872, 36 Weybosset St.) features a locally cast iron "Venetian" facade that is the best preserved of the few cast-iron facades in the city. The facade was cast by the Builders Iron Foundry. The design of the building incorporates the Victorian custom of splitting the street-level tenants in half - a shop half a floor down and the principle business half a floor up. This effectively gives the landlord the ability to charge "street-level" rentals for both tenants.
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At the right, is the Wilcox building in Downtown Providence on Weybosset St. designed by Edwin Howland and built in 1875. It's L-shaped floor plan wraps around the neighboring Equitable building giving it facades on both Weybosset and Custom House Streets. It is one of the city's first commercial office buildings that was built in the the polychromatic High Victorian Gothic Style. In 1975 the interior of the building was destroyed by fire. The ensuing restoration helped restore community concern to downtown preservation.

Chester Smolski

1978-11-01

Rhode Island College

Photograph

Photograph

5036

Renaissance Revival

Mall

Providence

United States of America

Edwin Howland

Architect, Wilcox Building

Walker and Gould

Architect, Equitable Building

Rhode Island

42 Weybosset St

1875

City Beautiful