Prospect Park along Congdon Street
Along Congdon Street (formerly Bowen Street)
in the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island
lies Prospect Park, also known as Prospect
Terrace Park. The park, located on top of
College Hill, is one of the best places from
which to view the historic buildings, The
Meeting House of the First Baptist Church
and the State House, to name a few and the
huge skyscrapers of downtown
Providence.
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It was founded in 1867 and it is
known that
the renowned author H.P.
Lovecraft was
one of the park’s most
frequent visitors.
One of the parks main features, standing
at
a height of thirty five meters, is a stone
statue of Roger Williams, the founder of
Rhode Island. The statue was made by
Leo
Friedlander after Stephen Randall, Williams’
descendant, made a deed of
gift for its
construction. During the late
1930s,
Williams’ remains were transferred
to the
base of the sculpture. The
memorial,
however, has not been
properly maintained
since. |
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| Near the park are several remarkable sites
for tourists to visit. They are the Brown
University, the Rhode Island School of
Design, the John Brown Museum and the
Providence Athenaeum.
The Brown University, founded in
1764, is a member of the highly esteemed Ivy League. The
university is the third oldest institution of higher
education in New England. The Rhode Island School of Design,
founded in 1877, is adjacent to the Brown University campus.
Known as the “Harvard” of art schools, it is regarded as one
of the best fine arts school in all of the United States.
The John Brown Museum, a 1786 Georgian inspired mansion
along Power Street, houses the collections of John Brown.
Brown was a merchant who was heavily involved in the China
trade and the slave trade. The Providence Athenaeum, founded
in 1753, is the United States’ fourth oldest subscription
library.
Also in close proximity to the Prospect Terrace are numerous
restaurants. Some of them are the Barnsider’s Mile And A
Quarter, located by the river on North Main Street; Geoff’s
Superlative Sandwiches on Benefit, a twenty year old outfit
along Benefit Street that prides itself as the source of the
best sandwiches in Providence; The Capitan Grill of Boston,
a restaurant along Main Street that is the perfect venue for
family gatherings and celebrations; the XO Café from which
the inviting aroma of coffee radiates; Olive’s, a chic bar
for adults along North Main Street; the Café La France, a
coffee shop in Citizens Plaza; the Tortilla Flats, a Mexican
restaurant along Hope Street; the 3 Steeple Street
Restaurant along Canal Street, which is known for its very
wide and varied selection of food offerings; the New Rivers
American Bistro, a relatively new eating place along Steeple
Street; and many others.
This convenient cluster of tourist attractions and
restaurants is one of the reasons why the Prospect Terrace
Park is almost always bustling with life.
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