NAP- Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

I heard that there is another home- the Ott House on Walcott St that some want to tear down. I hope this is just a rumor as we have lost too much of our history in Pawtucket and RI for what some call progress or I call regression!

 I recently learned that the survival of a beautiful historic mansion on Walcott street may be in jeopardy. Quality Hill is filled with magnificent historic homes and mansions of great stature and design - properties that once belonged to former mill owners or people of prominence in the City of Pawtucket - properties that have found a place in our history.   Below is a link from the Providence Journal last year with some historic fact and insight on this building.   The Read-Ott mansion is currently owned by the Greek Orthodox Church and is located to the immediate right of the church if you travel to Walcott Street from downtown Pawtucket.  This building is empty, and no longer serves a useful purpose to the church.  There has been discussion and desire from the church to demolish the building and doing 'something else' with the land.  This building is in a zoned residential neighborhood.  
 
Over the past year The Greek Church has appointed a panel to look into restoring the mansion, the panel has worked with Roger Williams School of Architecture as well as a number of different organizations to identify different reuses and restore the Mansion.  They are now at the point where the congregation needs to decided whether to restore or demolish.  

September 7, 2009

Dear Arthur and friends,

After reading the impassioned  letter by Joe Asermely, one might connect that the Asermely family's great-great-great plus grandfather, Mr. Read, might have been the original owner of the mansion on Walcott Street.  I know Mr. Asermely's grandmother was a Mrs. Read.   However, Mr. Asermely makes some great points about preservation of any mansion, especially one that has survived about 150 years.

To Mr. Asermely and others concerned:  Could the Read-Ott mansion be moved as was the Molak mansion on Broadway, which was moved from the path of Route 95 around 1961?  The Molak mansion is three stories high and was moved in sections?  Is the cost prohibitive?  Could the Pawtucket Foundation and the Historic Preservation Society move the property?

However, in the recent past, church parish councils made some terrible mistakes in tearing down structures of historical value.  For instance, in the late 1970's, St. Joseph's School in Central Falls was demolished to build a church parking lot.   St. Joseph's School, formerly on High Street,near Clay Street, existed as a mansion owned by a textile mill owner during the Civil War.  The building contained a beautiful Southern style staircase, with oak floors in about six classrooms.  The other seven classrooms proved additions in the late 1920's.

By the late 1970's, with the success of the Polish picnics, the church decided to demolish the school building.  The parking lot looks great, however, the school's use could have continued.

Another church building on the demolition slate:  The convent of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus on Woodhaven Road.  According to parish sources, the convent has not

been used for many years.  What is the fate of this 60 year old building?

Dear Neighbors, does anyone know the fate of St. Mary's School and Convent in Pawtucket?

To the preservationists, do not give up your great cause.

Peace,

Ludlow1

I believe there could be saving possibilities for just painting the Ott mansion by volunteer painters-who could be unemployed folks and/or contractors if we got donations of paint from paint companies or Lowes/Home Depot or even the Walmarts and KMarts or some local stores.

A letter of support to the Greek Parish would help as well.

As for St Mary's, I have heard rumors, but Home and Hospice's former headquarters might be part of planning for the future for some future thinking real estate folks as well...