06/15/2023
HISTORIC HISTORY
Frances M. Andrews Houses
The historic Park View was built in 1878 as three elegant townhouses facing Dexter Training Grounds, named the Frances M. Andrews Houses. In c. 1890 a fourth townhouse was added to the south. Originally built for the prosperous urban middle class of the rapidly growing city, the building is one of few examples of this style of housing in Providence. The building was residential until 1919, when it was converted to a maternity hospital and rooming house.
Miriam Hospital
In the first decades of the 20th century, the Jewish residents of Providence began investigating the possibility of establishing a “Hebrew Hospital”. In 1902 a women’s organization focused on enhancing care at Rhode Island Hospital, St. Joseph’s, and other hospitals was formed. The “Miriam Society” provided kosher meals, translation, and support for Jewish patients. After over two decades of fundraising, the Miriam Society purchased 31 Parade Street.
After extensive renovations, Miriam Hospital opened in 1925 as one of the best equipped small hospitals in the nation. Miriam Hospital’s practices included internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, obstetrics, eye, ear, nose, and throat, x-ray, pathology, and anesthesia. Miriam hospital became well regarded for the medical care provided to both Jewish and non-Jewish patients, including a large percentage of charity cases. The advent of World War II put an end to plans for expansion on Parade Street, and by the end of the war it was decided to move Miriam Hospital to an all-new hospital at its current location on the East Side of Providence.
Park View Nursing Home
After Miriam Hospital relocated to the East Side in 1952, 31 Parade Street was converted to Park View Nursing Home. The 66-bed nursing home continued in operation under a variety of names, providing generations of care in a neighborhood setting. However, over time, it became clear that the facility was not up to the requirements of modern nursing home facilities, and Park View Associates decided to close the nursing home and relocate patients to Bannister House and other nearby facilities.
A New Chapter
In 2018, RCG Armory Park View LLC purchased 31 Parade Street with the goal of bringing this iconic neighborhood building back to life. Pre-development work included zoning approvals, environmental remediation, and structural repairs. Construction began in 2021 with an expected completion date of early Summer 2023. A sister-building is planned for the adjacent land, to be built sometime in the future. The project preserves and enhances a unique structure in the Armory Historic District and creates a new supply of elegant, spacious apartments in an elevator building, a desirable and much needed form for the neighborhood.
