There’s an inscription in stone on the front of The Dean hotel in Providence that reads: “Church house erected AD 1912 to the Glory of God.”
That glory to God was probably a clear goal when it was first built, before the building slid toward decidedly less-religious pursuits.
“It was built by the Episcopal Diocese. It had a chapel on the ground floor. It was like a settlement house where people lived until they got back on their feet,” said Ari Heckman, who grew up in Providence and is the designer and one of the owners of The Dean. “Then in the 20s and 30s it was a hotel and the guests were often actors in town for vaudeville theater.
“In the ’60s and ’70s it was a gentlemen’s club, [the Sportsman’s Inn], with a brothel above,” said Heckman, who now has a Brooklyn-based development and design firm, ASH NYC. “I was looking around for a property and someone brought to my attention that the notorious Sportsman’s Inn was for sale. I remember well from my childhood I was absolutely told to stay away from there.”
Things are much more genteel now in the Fountain Street building housing The Dean, which Heckman found “charming, with good bones.”
The ambiance that now pervades The Dean is hip, trendy, artsy and relaxed, yet sophisticated.
The vision for The Dean, echoed by those who are part of its creation and workforce, is that: “It’s a hotel by Providence, for Providence.”
The bed frames, including a few bunk beds offered as an affordable way to entice families with kids, wedding parties or groups of former classmates, are by Iron Origami, a fabrication shop owned by Rhode Island School of Design graduate Nate Nadeau. Concrete elephants in the hotel were cast and fabricated by another RISD grad, Will Reeves. The Steel Yard did the exterior metal work. Providence-based Lotuff Leather created the guest directories. The Magdalenae Room hotel bar is by Providence restaurateur Mike Sears.
Bolt Coffee in the hotel lobby is the first permanent shop, after mostly doing special events, for local Bryan Gibb, whose dual mission is to serve hotel guests and “create a place for locals to come and hang out.”
“It’s nice to stay in a place that has real character,” said band member Tim Foreman.
While initial guests during the “soft opening” before April 3 often arrived by word of mouth, Heckman said he expects the guest list to broaden as the hotel becomes more widely known.
“I think businesspeople will stay here,” said Heckman. “It may be especially appealing to those associated with creative companies, those that tend to be more focused on design and technology.”
So far, 18 wedding parties have booked blocks of rooms, in addition to 13 conference and convention groups, said Heckman.
The emphasis on making The Dean a place for locals includes more than good coffee.
The hotel houses Faust’s Hofbrauhaus, a street-level beer garden and restaurant. There’s also The Boombox, a Korean-style karaoke lounge, the second nightlife venture by Ethan Feirstein, owner of The Salon bar on Eddy Street in Providence and a graduate of Brown University. The main karaoke lounge is complemented by individual rooms with karaoke equipment for small groups.
“I was looking to offer something unique in Providence,” he said.
“Our hotel has dual purposes,” said Heckman. “We want to highlight the best of Providence and have people come into town to see things created in Providence and to experience its restaurants and bars.
“We also want to bring the best of the outside world into Providence,” said Heckman. “It will be great when locals and out-of-towners end up sitting next to each other at the bar or in the coffee shop – and they’re communicating.”
