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About the Neighborhood:

The place we know today as Elmwood has a history shaped by its proximity to the center of Providence – close enough to benefit from the services, amenities, and workforce of a growing city and distant enough for Elmwood to develop its own character and culture.

In colonial Providence, the slice of land to the south of the city was rural farmland and took the name “Elmwood” from Joseph J. Cooke’s farm of the same name. The American Industrial Revolution saw the neighborhood dramatically shift from farmland to tree-lined streets of posh Victorians belonging to the city’s growing middle class and its nouveau-riche upper class residents. New modes of transportation – particularly the electrified trolley – established Elmwood as Providence’s first streetcar suburb. The opening of Gorham Manufacturing’s landmark factory complex on Mashapaug Pond in 1890 drew hundreds of workers into the neighborhood and changed the economic and cultural character of Elmwood.

However, Elmwood’s booming success faded in the mid-20th century as economic decline, an eroding tax base, and municipal disinvestment deeply affected the neighborhood.  New highways, coupled with unequal lending practices that pushed for mortgages and new construction in the suburbs fueled the exodus of white, middle-class residents and the growth of suburban development in Cranston and Warwick. Large businesses followed suit.

Through the 1970s and ‘80s, the neighborhood welcomed the Latine and Asian communities, enlivening the streets with their markets and restaurants and adapting the neighborhood’s ageing building stock. First-time homebuyers undertook the restoration of the Victorian houses the neighborhood is known for, turning to organizations like the Providence Revolving Fund. Other social services have ushered in additional resources aimed at equitable and sustainable housing opportunities and home ownership programs. Today, Elmwood continues to evolve while retaining its architecturally and culturally rich reputation.