Historic Jewelry District
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Another Wildlife Sighting

6/5/2019

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Along with the rabbits that scamper across Friendship Street, and lurk behind the Wexford sight, and mingle with workers building the new park, other fauna can be found in the district.  The other day, a large (some say mangy) coyote was seen loping through the Wexford site heading toward the river? the courthouse? the pedestrian bridge?

And on 4 June, Tom Donovan sent along this photo of a raccoon making his way along a roof at the South Street Landing garage.

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The Changing Scene: Norbert's Eyeview.

5/29/2018

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May 29, 2018.  You know, this used to be a great place for a dog. When the highway came down, they sprayed grass seed all over the place.  I could run for miles, it seemed, in nice, soft, green pastures.
      Sure you had to watch out for broken glass. Some people  think the District is just  bars and a convenient place to throw empties... and most fun when they shatter on the sidewalk and bounce into the grass.
      But aside from that, things were pretty cool, back in the day. Rabbits all over the place. You could chase them to your heart's content. Until they started mowing once a week, the grass got really high and you could hear mice or something scurrying around. If you paid attention, you might catch one. Of course, THEY wouldn't let you keep them, even if you just kind of mouthed them. But then THEY did let you chase the geese which seemed to amuse THEM.
      On a nice day in the summer, if you knew the right spot, you could wade right into the river and cool off. Or you could just mooch around sniffing things. It was like one huge grass field from East Franklin, across Claverick, across Chestnut, across Richmond, across Dyer and there you were — the riverbank.
      Then things started to change. First JWU built that white place with the big windows. Took away a favorite hill of mine (boy was that great when they piled snow up there).
       Then, down by the river, that place with all the scrub brush and saplings where I used to chase rabbits through the cyclone fence, you know, where Barnaby used to store WaterFire firewood, yeah, next to the dead power plant. Suddenly machines were all over the place, they patched the fence and fuggedaboudit.
       So you kind of make do. You could still go along the north side of the Bay Commission's storm outlet and find stuff. There was still a pretty good selection of nice old trees, and you could walk along and get right onto the river walk. Not bad. But it couldn't last.
      Suddenly, more black mesh, all along the river front, from the NBC overflow to the south end of the river walk. Whole place blocked off (unless you knew how to go around the end along the rocks). I had my moments, though. Kicked a rabbit out of that big rock pile around noon one day. Rabbit took off heading for the gate into the work area, me hot on his cottontail. Zoomed in right past construction guys having lunch. Got a lot of cheers on that one. But no chance to mooch some scraps. THEY called me back.
       Still had the rock pile at the edge of the river. And the walk back across Dyer and into those fields. Until something THEY call Wexford walled everything off with more mesh. You could still edge your way alongside Nabsys and get to that field along Richmond. It wasn't the same. And now they've blocked that off for cars. Nothing but cars where all that great grass used to be. Where they made a mountain of snow one year. Gone, all gone.
      So, then, a couple weeks ago, they COMPLETELY walled off from the river to Dyer. Everything. I bet not even a rabbit can get in there. I sure can't. Back when hundreds of cars were parking all day for free, it was great. People threw all sorts of lunch scraps out. Never knew what you'd find. THEY yelled at me when I crunched into a luscious chicken scrap. I pretended I didn't know what "Drop it!" means. THEY'd yell louder. I continued to play dumb, you know, like an animal.
       But why do THEY say all these fences are Progress, and "Progress is good"? This week Progress meshed up two more of my favorite areas up the hill.  What's more important? Having a place to park oily smelly machines, or big expanses of nice, lush (OK, not exactly golf green caliber) grass to run around in? I ask you. The way things are going, pretty soon, I won't have a plot to pee in. 
       Anyway, thanks for listening.

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Delsisto Law Offices Renovate 60 Ship St. and Move In.

8/29/2017

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After a complete renovation of the building at the corner of Ship and Elbow, the Desisto Law Offices have moved into 60 Ship St.

Formerly located on Angell Street on the East Side, the firm just opened for business in the District. The JDA welcomes the law firm to our neighborhood.

It's great to see the building brought to new life, sporting its brand new, period-correct windows.

And while we are glad to have new neighbors, we admit to a little nostalgia for the days when 60 Ship served as world headquarters for Narragansett Brewing. The big Narragansett sign is gone from the facade. And the mountain climber who — in banner form — ascended the  corner of the building is now climbing somewhere else.

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Springing Forth on Chestnut Street: UPDATE.

5/22/2017

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Phase I: Alyssa Coffin (left) and Allison Paschke consider options to accompany a new tree at 155 Chestnut. In the background, another target for planting. 27 April 17.
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Phase II: Bollards in place. Plants and pencil-thin sapling protected. 20 May 2017. Phiotos: Images de Norbert.

The project has turned the corner and moved onto Elbow St.  Congratulations to Allison Paschke for spearheading this drive to brighten things up in the District.

(If the City won't send a streetsweeper through every now and again, and if re-paving the macadam that passes for pavement on our streets is not going to happen anytime soon, at least things are looking brighter on the sidewalks.)

In an updating e-Mail message, Allison wrote:

"Many thanks to the Doran Building Condo Association for funding, and to Olin Thompson for helping with the painting."

"If other buildings would like tree guards, please contact me. If they pay for fabrication and someone will volunteer to help with painting, I will measure, order, help paint, and install." 

Then she added:  "If anyone would like to help me paint the bollards, that would be great too."


ORIGINAL POST:  5/22/2017, in which we saw Allison Paschke and her henchperson Alyssa Coffin embarking on the project:

First we get five new trees... and now it's flowers.

When 150 Chestnut St. got a tree from the City, and Brown U. sent a team to plant said tree, that was great (see District Clean-up Story).

Seizing the opportunity, 150 Chestnut's Allison Paschke thought that a flower or two could spiff up the newly planted tree cuts and an empty tree cut or two that didn't meet the City Forester's criteria for proper tree planting.

So, in late April Paschke and Alyssa Coffin set to work at brightening up the block. Phase I: exploratory planting in front of 150 Chestnut and across the street at 155.

Then 150 decided that bollards might protect their new, extremely vulnerable sapling and planted a couple.

Phase II:  Paschke and Coffin have been at work, again. More flowering plants at 150 and day lilies planted in that empty square at the corner of Elbow and Chestnut. Now we wait for the lilies to sprout.

Small projects,  big benefits for the District. Get ready: Paschke has further plans; she's looking for volunteers to pitch in.
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Bad Signs in the District with Hope for Improvement Soon.

5/12/2017

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As the District continues its evolution, so too, the street signage is a matter of continual change.

For some time, the traffic light at Clifford and Chestnut remained red for upwards of 5 minutes for Chestnut St. motorists. That situation seems to have been addressed.

The JDA did an informal inventory of missing, damaged, misplaced and otherwise confusing street signs and posted the results here back in  May 2017. Since then, many signs have been repaired, replaced or installed where none existed before.

The situation is not helped by buildings that edge narrow sidewalks and create blind intersections. Taken together with the Rhode Island habit of running yellow and — not infrequently  — red lights, there's rich potential for disaster. 

But things in May 2018 are looking up. Not perfect, but improved. A stop sign has appeared on Hospital where it meets as a blind interesction with  Bassett.  Some additional Do Not Enter signs now warn motorists not to enter the wrong way at more of the one-way streets.

There's still work to be done, as the gallery below indicates.



MISSING SIGNS

DAMAGED SIGNS
UNREADABLE, CONFUSING & OBSCURED SIGNS
IMAGINATIVE SIGNS
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5/3/2017

 

Basking in the Last Day of Summer's Sun

9/22/2016

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September 21, 2016.  Photos: 116 Aerials
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A New Year, a New Crop of Weeds at 55 Claverick St.

9/22/2016

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Another year goes by, must be time for the annual mowing on the disappearing sidewalk along the parking lot at 55 Claverick Street. (See last year's crop, HERE)
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Viewing the Changing Scene and Seasons in Our Park.

6/12/2016

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Even though our park is desolate and derelict and dusty, it remains an interesting place to visit for the passing scene, both natural and man-made. Sometimes both. And sometime mysterious or at least a little puzzling. You can find more about past events in previous posts in this section.
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1/14/2016

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