NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

on 06-02-2009 02:30

By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET - From Darlington and downtown to Woodlawn and Fairlawn, there are homes and buildings that are singled out each year as gems by the discerning eye of the Preservation Society of Pawtucket.

On May 27, the owners of these well-kept structures were invited to the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center to be honored at the Society's "Neighborhood Awards Night." Nine property owners were given awards for their preservation efforts and three couples were the recipients of historical house markers that they had applied for under the Society's marker program.
Paul Mowrey, president of the Preservation Society of Pawtucket, noted that the group "keeps a lookout for what's going on" in the city throughout the year in anticipation of drawing up its annual list of award winners. He said the Society travels to all of the various neighborhoods when looking for historical homes and buildings that meet the society's standards and criteria for preservation.
In Darlington, the 1912 Victorian-style home of John and Mary Ann Ricci at 636 Armistice Blvd. was praised for its upkeep. One of the oldest houses in the area and located next to Pelletier's machine shop, it was originally owned by the Pelletier family. Two generations of Mary Ann Ricci's family have now lived in the house, the maintenance of which she called "a labor of love."
Downtown, a newly constructed, four-family apartment building located behind the old train depot 141 Montgomery Street was deemed award worthy for the way its architecture fits into the surrounding neighborhood. The Pawtucket Community Development Program (PCDC), which owns the property, razed a derelict commercial building to make way for the multi-family apartment. Nancy Callahan, PCDC president, said the building provides "supportive housing"  for tenants who were formerly homeless.
Another multi-family structure, the Renaissance at Pleasant View located at 39 Webster St., was also praised by the Society as an architectural standout. Mowrey said the Society was impressed by the way the former Our Lady of Consolation school, a brick building which dates back to the early 20th century, was adapted for re-use as 14 one- and two-bedroom affordable rental units.
In Quality Hill, two large and stately homes were noted for their pristine condition. The Tudor-style manor of Joseph Asermely at 24 Walnut St. has been restored to its former glory-so much so that the house has been featured on two TV shows and in several newspaper and magazine articles.
Asermely noted that the William Park House, as it was originally known, will be 100 years-old next year and said he plans to hold a gala celebration that will double as a fund raiser.
The Colonial Manor at 90 Summit St., also known as the Albert Jenks House, is an impressive, hip-roof style mansion with a portico that has been turned into several apartments. Mowrey noted that the current owners, John and Susan Walsh, had the house painted recently at considerable expense. He said it is one of the biggest houses in the city that remain from the construction that occurred when I-95 was built. "We're glad this one is still around," noted Mowrey.
In Woodlawn, a three-family home belonging to Roger Theroux at 131-133 Mulberry St. was also given an award for its good condition. Theroux noted that his parents had the house moved three blocks from Beech Street to its present location in 1962 as part of the I-95 construction upheaval. "They didn't want the highway to take it," he noted.
In Oak Hill, the 1928 home of Vanessa Greenier at 126 Marbury St. also impressed the Society with its new shingling and exterior paint work. Greenier said that due to the house only having three previous owners, much of its original woodwork and other architectural details, including a unique car portico, remained intact when she purchased it six years ago.
Also earning an award for being well-maintained was the 1950 Cape Cod style home of the Noonan family at 405 Grotto Ave. in Fairlawn. Attorney and School Committee member Raymond Noonan Jr., who grew up in the house, returned to it after his elderly father went to live in a nursing home, Mowrey said.
The only commercial business to receive an award this year was the former gas station-turned- restaurant Jacs Wraps located at 385 East Avenue in West Riverview.  Owner Amy Schauvin stated that it was "a project and a half" to turn the 1960s-style, Phillips 66 gas station into the hip and stylish eatery that it it today. Mowrey agreed that the transformation is amazing, and noted that "the canopy over what was the (gasoline) pumps is pure 60s."
Receiving historic markers from the Preservation Society of Pawtucket were John Rector and Theresa Level for their 1928 home at 4 Albert St. in Darlington known as the Charles and Hermia Barre House; Gennaro and Margret Cerce for their 1934 home at 103 Alfred Stone Rd. known as the John and Ann Brown House; and Steven and Terri Sandblom for their 1912 house at 33 Arlington St. known as the Edith Lenz House.