Smith Hill, Providence, Rhode Island

Smith Hill is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. Its traditional bounds are the Woonasquatucket River, the Chad Brown public housing complex, Interstate 95 and West River.

Smith Hill Historic District
Holden Street Providence, part of Smith Hill Historic District
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
Architectural styleItalianate, Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.93001183[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 4, 1993

The Roger Williams Medical Center (RWMC) is located in the Smith Hill neighborhood and is adjacent to the VA hospital.

The Rhode Island State House is also located on the border with Downtown. The name 'Smith Hill' is therefore used as a metonym for the Rhode Island state government and the Rhode Island General Assembly.[2]

History
Providence neighborhoods with Smith Hill in red

The neighborhood gets its name from settler John Smith, who set up a grist mill here in 1636, after being banished from England.[3]

Prior to the mid-1800s, the area was considered rural escape from downtown, with few homes.[3] However, in the 1900s industrialization attracted immigrants from Ireland, Eastern Europe and the Balkans to work in nearby mills.[3]

The neighborhood's proximity to the Woonasquatucket and Moshassuck Rivers provided power for the industrial mills.

In the 21st Century, Smith Hill is home to about 6,000 people in a densely populated residential neighborhood.[3] The location offers easy access to downtown, featuring small parks, a post office, a library branch, and the Harry Kizirian Elementary School.[3] The Smith Hill Partners Initiative (SHPI) plans community events.[3]

Demographics

The neighborhood is home to whites of European descent and an increasing number of minorities. As of the 1990 census, Smith Hill was 20% Hispanic, 17.2% Asian and 12.2% black. The neighborhood's unemployment and poverty rates are above average for the city, though efforts have been made to revitalize the area, although, without success.

  • Christopher Dodge house, Holden Street
  • Saint Patrick Academy, 244 Smith Street
  • Carroll Tower, an assisted living facility on Smith Street
  • A. T. Cross Company headquarters, Promenade Street
  • Baba's Original New York System, a local eatery on Smith Street

Smith Hill Community Development Corporation, neighborhood non-profit dedicated to community building and affordable housing

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Rhode Island General Assembly Video". Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  3. Tempera, Jacqueline (8 September 2017). "Neighborhood of the Week: Smith Hill is small but 'mighty'". Providence, Rhode Island: The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2020.


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