Downtown Providence in Providence County, Rhode Island — The American Northeast (New England)
Providence Telephone Company
Providence is sited on the traditional land of the Narragansett people. These unceded lands have been and continue to be taken, occupied, and colonized. Despite this, the Narragansett people have stewarded this land throughout the generations, and so we make space here to pay respect to them and their Elders both past and present.
In 1892 the City of Providence granted the Providence Telephone Company a franchise for an underground conduit system. Built one year later to house the new switchboards for the rapidly increasing number of telephone subscribers, this building grew from three to five stories when the Company needed even more space in 1906. By 1917 they had once again outgrown their facility and moved to 234 Washington St.
The Providence Telephone Company was incorporated in 1880 under the leadership of former Rhode Island Governor Henry Howard, who served as the company's president until 1892.
Erected by Providence Telephone Company.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.
Location. 41° 49.414′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Garden of Journey (within shouting distance of this marker); Stephanie and Ashley (within shouting distance of this marker); Hurricane and Flood of September 21, 1938 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Carlos Davila (about 500 feet away); Fountain Street (about 500 feet away); Annye (about 500 feet away); a different
Additional keywords. land acknowledgement
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 9, 2024
4. Additional plaque on the building
Company Building
Architects
Stone, Carpenter & Willson
1893, 1906
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 274 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 13, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A daylight photo of the right section of text. • Can you help?
