Providence Place opened in 1999 with original anchors Lord & Taylor, Filene's, and Nordstrom. Lord & Taylor closed in June 2004 and was later replaced by JCPenney in February 2005. Filene's was converted to Macy's in 2006. Michael Townsend, Adriana Yoto and six other artists covertly built an apartment in a loft in one of the mall's parking garages in 2004 and lived there for up to three weeks at a time while documenting mall life. After the fully furnished apartment was discovered by mall security, Townsend was sentenced to probation on October 2, 2007. On January 7, 2015, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 39 stores nationwide. The store closed in Summer 2015. It was later replaced with an expanded parking garage in 2017. On October 9, 2018, it was announced that Nordstrom would also be closing on January 4, 2019 with Boscov's replacing it. Boscov's opened on September 26, 2019. On June 1, 2020, Providence Place suffered damage after people protesting the death of George Floyd broke in and looted 12-18 stores.
Architecture
The mall was built on land previously occupied by a dirt parking lot called "Ray's Park & Lock." The proposed design was met by opposition from residents on the city's East Side; developers changed the initial design to fit better into the neighborhood. The new design included more red and yellow brick and turrets on the roof, to reflect Providence's industrial past. The design of the mall was partly done by the architect Friedrich St. Florian. He also built the skybridge that connected the mall with the Omni Providence Hotel. In total, Providence Place consists of fifteen levels. The lowest three are labeled C-A. Level C consists of Parking-Only Stateside, and Street Level Restaurants Cityside. There is also a level D on the Stateside garage. Level B consists of DSW shoes and Restaurants, Old Navy stateside, Bed Bath & Beyond cityside and The Skybrige to the Westin. Level A consists of parking only, both cityside and stateside. Cityside is the mall's southern end, facing Downtown. Stateside is the mall's northern end, facing state office buildings including the State Capitol. The fifth through ninth levels are labeled 1, 1M, 2, 2M and 3, which features the indoor galleria. There is a Dave & Buster's, an IMAX theatre, and a 16-screen cinema on the seventh level. The mall also hosts two large parking garages, one cityside and the other stateside, anchored to its back end. Bridges connect the two sides over the Woonasquatucket River. The mall's Winter Garden is a noticeable architectural feature. The four-level structure in the center of the mall spans the Woonasquatucket River and Amtrak'sNortheast Corridor line. The area features large expanses of glass providing views of the city. The third level of the Winter Garden contains the food court and access to its fourth level, serving as the entrance to Dave and Buster's, the IMAX theater, and the cinema. Although not directly connected to the mall, Amtrak's Providence Station is located approximately 200 yards east of the mall, providing Acela Express and Northeast Regional service to Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C.. In early 2017, the garages were renovated, including converting first two floors of the former JCPenney into more parking and the addition of a system indicating where spaces are available.
Reception
The financial viability of Providence Place has been questioned since 2016, following the closure of J.C. Penney and increasing popularity of Garden City Shopping Center in Cranston for upscale shopping. GoLocalProv noted that several "higher-tier retailers and restaurants have been replaced with lower-priced retailers or are vacant," and opined that the closure of Nordstrom signaled that "the once gem of the city is now in near free fall."
