Benefit Street, Providence: The Historic Houses, the Athenaeum and What to See

Benefit Street climbs along the side of College Hill above downtown Providence, and it’s the street most of the neighborhood’s famous 18th- and 19th-century houses are on or near. It began as Back Street, a set of paths running parallel to the town’s first streets, and nearly every historic building along it has since been restored.

What to see on Benefit Street

• The Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street: a member-supported library open to the public, Tuesday to Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM (closed Mondays).
• The Old State House, built in 1762 as the Colony House.
• The State Arsenal, designed by Russell Warren in 1839, later the first headquarters of the Rhode Island State Police.
• The Providence County Courthouse, with entrances on both Benefit Street and South Main Street below.
• The Shunned House, the house associated with H. P. Lovecraft’s story of the same name.

A bit of history

Benefit Street once had several inns, including the Golden Ball Inn, whose guests included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette. College Hill as a whole was named one of the American Planning Association’s “Great Places in America” in 2011.

Walk up to Thayer Street for food, or down the hill to the rivers and WaterFire.

Sources: Wikipedia, College Hill, Providence Athenaeum.