The historic Brick School House at 24 Meeting Street

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting the charming city of Providence, you will have most certainly been captivated by the well-preserved historic properties around town. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since Providence is one of the first cities established in the United States.

But let’s give credit where credit is due. From the quant neighborhoods of the East Side to the hipstertastic West End of Providence, the Providence Preservation Society (PPS) plays a rather large role in its preservation.

One of the more recent acquisitions by the PPS is the historic Brick School House at 24 Meeting Street. The Champlin Foundations is funding the “much needed historic restoration of the exterior, and structural stabilization of the building,” in the generous amount of $341,500.

The Brick School House was built in 1769 and is one of the few 18th century buildings in Providence. What’s great about this acquisition is that the PPS has already been investing in its improvements since 1960. “Throughout 50 years of occupancy and stewardship, PPS has worked to retain the character of the historically significant Brick School House,” says PPS Executive Director James Brayton Hall. “By receiving the funds to purchase the building from The Champlin Foundations, we can make this historic structure a safe, accessible, and available resource for the City of Providence. We are extremely grateful to The Champlin Foundations for this very significant show of confidence in the relevance of our mission, and our organizational capacity.”

The PPS plans on using this space as a Center of Preservation Education, as well as the new home for the preservation library and archive.