An unusual-looking garage on Turner Avenue in the Oaklawn Village section of the City, with what appears to have a stunted steeple, is being reviewed by the City’s Historic District Commission …
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An unusual-looking garage on Turner Avenue in the Oaklawn Village section of the City, with what appears to have a stunted steeple, is being reviewed by the City’s Historic District Commission (HDC) following the owners’ application to modify the structure.
According to historical documents, the garage was originally the workshop of local craftsman Henry Pratt who built some of the finer homes in the area in the late 1800s. And the odd tower that juts from its roof is a 40-foot shingled “stack” that once included a windmill mechanism that Pratt had hoped would generate enough energy to power his tools.
The application on file with the City states that the current owners John and Pamela Lawson would like to remove the tower part of the building and would apply vinyl siding to the remaining part of the building.
The building is in Oaklawn’s federally designated Historic District, which means that it is a protected preservation area. Proposals for new construction or exterior alterations are subject to review by the HDC in order to determine the impact on historical character and whether or not changes will make a structure inconsistent with the historic character of the district.
The review process is public and an initial hearing on the Pratt workshop application was held earlier this month, but continued to March 13, 2024. Assistant City Planner Beth Ashman last week said that extra time was allotted, primarily to provide more time for historical research after questions were raised by some residents. She said that historical buildings can be expensive to maintain, and that the City’s role is to balance the importance of historical preservation while also taking into consideration the challenges faced by property owners.
The Lawsons said this week that they are awaiting recommendations from the HDC.
Member of the Cranston Historical Society attended the hearing and expressed concerns about the losing the historical value of the building. They provided old pictures that show the structure when it was Pratt’s workshop – a farm-style, propellor windmill sitting atop the tower.
“I really hope that this windmill can be saved because it is an important landmark in Oak Lawn village,” said Sandra Moyer, president of the Cranston Historical Society. “Just the fact that Henry Pratt was using wind power to run the carpentry machinery with which he built many of the houses in Oak Lawn helps us to appreciate the village's history. With every demolition of an historic building, Cranston loses a little of its past.”
According to federal records from the Department of Interior, the area was designated a historic district in 1977. It is located in what is now known as Oaklawn Village.
Tucked away, just west of the Oaklawn railroad bridge, the area traces its roots to two early village settlements in the city. The designated historic district consists of approximately 35 buildings clustered near Wilbur Avenue, some of them built in the 18th century in Greek Revival or Queen Anne style. Some of the finer homes listed as historically significant were built in the late 19th-century by Pratt.
The district includes the site of an old Quaker meeting house which is now the location of the Oak Lawn Community Baptist Church. There are also modern house and buildings scattered throughout the district.
As for Pratt’s use of wind power, a June 2000 article published in the Providence Journal newspaper states that he was never able to get the windmill to power his tools and woodworking equipment. It was sufficient, however, to pump enough water from his well so he could tend to his garden.
The Oak Lawn District is the only nationally designated historic district in Cranston. Apparently, there have been attempts to create a historic district in Pawtuxet Village, which straddles the Cranston-Warwick line. But, according to the City of Cranston’s website, Pawtuxet Village does not have the protection being a historic district because Cranston has never passed a local ordinance designating Pawtuxet as a city historic district. The area is listed on the National Register of Historic places and the Warwick side does have historic protections since that City declared it a local historic district in 1989.
Editor’s note: Cranston Herald reporter Barbara Polichetti is a volunteer with the Cranston Historical Society.
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