A Watershed, a Foundry and a Mall: The Woonasquatucket River
This place between the Woonasquatucket River and the Foundry complex, behind the Providence Place Mall, simultaneously captures Smith Hill’s industrial, commercial and environmental history. Beginning in the 19th century it hosted water-powered industries; in the 1960s industry and finance fled the city, attracted by new highways and the promise of the suburbs. The Woonasquatucket River was profoundly polluted by the industries that used it, and in the 1990s a Watershed Council was established to clean it up and advocate for green development. Part of a long-delayed redevelopment strategy Providence Place Mall opened in 1999. Initially successful, the mall is likely to drive another reimagining, forced by the rise of online shopping, the pandemic of 2020-2021 and climate change.