Artsy Mill Town May Be Rhode Island's SoHo

ByABC News
December 3, 2003, 2:00 PM

P A W T U C K E T, R.I., Dec. 4 -- When Jessica Evans returned to RhodeIsland after college to pursue a career in printmaking, sheimagined opening a studio on Providence's popular Wickenden Street,where cafes hug the sidewalk, art galleries are plentiful andtourists wander in and out of antique stores.

But space there was out of her price range. So after shoppingaround, Evans was lured five miles upriver to Pawtucket, a grittyindustrial town that's slowly attracting artists as its old millsare being converted into upscale lofts and affordable studios.

"I loved the idea of being in an old beautiful building," saidEvans, 27, describing her nearly 2,000-square-foot studio space asaffordable, accessible and safe. "Where Providence has galleries,shops and the Rhode Island School of Design, Pawtucket is whereartists are actually working."

Many factors are contributing to Pawtucket's renaissance,including tax laws friendly to artists, its proximity to Providenceand the interstate, low rent and an abundance of abandoned orpartly used mill complexes that are perfect for artists seekinglots of space and natural light.

Evans' workspace is surrounded by other artists who have set upshop.

"It makes for a very interesting creative community," shesaid. "I had no idea this town was full of sculptors, painters,you name it."

It's also full of developers, such as Ranne Warner, who arehelping build a lively arts community on top of Pawtucket'sindustrial past.

Carving Artist Lofts Out of Old Mills

Warner, who is Boston-based, bought the old Lebanon Mill Co.facility on the east bank of the Blackstone River for $550,000 lastyear. She's pumping $14 million in renovations into the104,000-square-foot complex. By April, 60 residential and worklofts will have been carved out of the historical building andrenamed Riverfront Lofts. Already half of them have been sold.

"There's been a heavy demand for the old mill buildings," saidMichael Cassidy, director of planning and redevelopment inPawtucket. "Many of the buildings aren't conducive to currentmanufacturing needs. This is a way to easily convert the buildingsfor use."