One Union Station History

The Foundation's home since 1999, Union Station originally was the main terminal of the Providence train station, a role it fulfilled for 88 years, from 1898 to 1986.  Designed by Stone, Carpenter, and Willson and constructed by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, the station consisted of five yellow brick buildings.  In the station's early days, some 300 trains ran through it each day.

But train usage decreased through the decades and by the 1980s only about 20 trains, run by Amtrack, entered Providence.  The large, sprawling station was no longer needed.  In 1986, Amtrack constructed a smaller facility nearby, and plans were made to convert Union Station into stores and offices.

The plans were postponed when, in April 1987, a massive fire nearly destroyed the historic building.  But work continued, and two and a half years later - and $10 million in renovation costs - Cookson America moved its offices into the former main terminal building.  Cookson remained for 10 years until it, like the railroad before, moved into a smaller facility.

The Rhode Island Foundation purchased the building in April, 1999 for $4.5 million, and moved into its new home in August.  The Foundation occupies the third floor of the three-story building and part of the second floor.  In addition to staff offices, the space includes numerous meeting rooms that the Foundation has made available to nonprofit and government organizations.  The Foundation rents the balance of office space on the second floor to several nonprofit organizations, including Rhode Island KidsCount and WRNI, Rhode Island's NPR station.  Two restaurants are tenants on the first floor, thus making the building very affordable for the Foundation.

Since purchasing the building, the Foundation - although it is tax-exempt under the law - has paid property taxes.  In the Foundation's first ten years in One Union Station, its tax payments have totaled more than $2.3 million.