Closed Jewelry District nightclub to make way for apartments

PROVIDENCE'S DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE is slated to give final approval to this six-story mixed-use building in the Jewelry District at a Monday meeting. / COURTESY FEDERAL HILL GROUP LLC
PROVIDENCE'S DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW COMMITTEE is slated to give final approval to this six-story mixed-use building in the Jewelry District at a Monday meeting. / COURTESY FEDERAL HILL GROUP LLC

PROVIDENCE – A plan to demolish a two-story brick building in the Jewelry District and replace it with a six-story apartment building will come before a city committee Monday for final approval.

The Downtown Design Review Committee in 2013 gave preliminary approval to 44 Hospital Street LLC to construct a six-story mixed-use building on the site, with the ground floor set for retail space.

The committee is expected to review final design plans Monday, which include the same interior layout but a slightly altered exterior, according to Chris Ise, a principal planner with the city’s Planning Department.

The new plan is for the building exterior to be clad in aluminum composite panels, according to architect Christopher Velleca, of Federal Hill Group LLC architects. The panels will have a brushed, satin finish, he said, and will not result in glare.

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Up to five retail spaces will be available at ground level, and can be built out to suit a tenant, while the upper floors would be one- and two-bedroom, as well as loft-style, apartments, Velleca said. They are not designed to be luxury apartments, but would be marketed to working professionals.

The site is the corner of Hospital and South streets.

“The building itself is echoing a lot of the modularity and the rhythm that can be seen throughout the Jewelry District,” he said.

The 0.26-acre property is owned by Option B LLC, with offices at 222 Atwells Ave, according to the city assessor’s office. The property was valued on the assessor’s records at $633,300 and was formerly a nightclub, Lot 401.

Velleca identified Henry Mu as the owner of the property.

Once the city design review committee approves the final plan, the owner plans to seek a demolition permit, then prepare the site and begin construction this spring, according to Velleca. The building should be completed within 15 months, he said.

“It should be a seamless process.”

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