Watchemoket Square

Oddfellows' Hall is a rare surviving element of Watchemoket Square, a village which was the heart of the East Providence business community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[4][5] East Providence was incorporated in 1862, and Watchemoket Square was significantly built up between 1880 and 1920.^[4] It became a desirable location for the professional class to live, and many large Queen Anne and shingle style buildings were built in the neighborhood with decorative towers and porches.^[4] An 1885 iron bridge on Warren avenue connected Warren Avenue to India Point in Providence.^[6]

20th century

By the early 20th Century, the area boasted over 100 businesses and hotels.^[5] The construction of I-195 in 1955 destroyed half of the village, leaving the Oddfellows Hall as one of its few survivors.^[6] The neighborhood quickly fell into decline in the following decades.^[6] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.^[2]

21st century

The hall in 2012

By the 21st century the structure had become, according to one city councilor, a "a blighted building" located in "a blighted area."^[1] The city of East Providence acquired the building in 2012.^[7] In 2017 the surrounding neighborhood was established as a federal opportunity zone to spur investment.^[1] The building sat "vacant for many, many years with multiple issues," including a roof in need of total replacement.^[1] The city put the structure out for bid multiple times in hopes of making it a centerpiece for turning the area into a neighborhood Arts district.^[1]

In 2019 the city sold the building to a holding company for one dollar.^[1] The city expressed hope that the building could be used for any number of uses including residential or commercial space, or artist studios, or senior living.^[1]