Timeline of Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He named the area in honor of "God's merciful Providence" which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. The city developed as a busy port as it is situated at the mouth of the Providence River in Providence County, at the head of Narragansett Bay. Providence was one of the first cities in the country to industrialize and became noted for its textile manufacturing and subsequent machine tool, jewelry, and silverware industries. Today, the city of Providence is home to eight hospitals and eight institutions of higher learning which have shifted the city's economy into service industries, though it still retains some manufacturing activity. At the 2020 census, Providence had a population of 190,934, making it the third-most-populous city in New England after Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts.

The Providence Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Providence, Rhode Island.

The Old Canteen is an Italian restaurant in Federal Hill, Providence, Rhode Island opened by Joe Marzilli in 1956. They were Rhode Island’s oldest family owned restaurant and noted for their famous guests, particularly Mayor Buddy Cianci (when he died in 2016, they left his regular table empty in his honor) who has brought Frank Sinatra with him to dine.Raymond L. S. Patriarca, boss of the Patriarca crime family, was a regular that held “top-level meetings” there according to his FBI files.Patriarca would use the apartment above the restaurant to host card games “when there was something private going on.”In 2022, owner and head chef Sal Marzilli wanted to retire and was putting the restaurant up for sale after more than 65 years.

Camille's is the oldest Italian restaurant in Rhode Island, located in Federal Hill, Providence, Rhode Island. Camille's has been open since 1914 when it was known as Marconi’s.

The Sister Dominica Manor, originally known as Bradford House, is a high-rise building located in the Federal Hill district of Providence, Rhode Island. Standing at 175 feet (53 meters), it is currently the 15th-tallest building in the city. The Sister Domininca Manor has 16 floors, and was completed in 1966. The Sister Dominica Manor was constructed as the tallest of three low-income elderly housing projects built by Rhode Island Housing and the city of Providence in the 1960s. It was the tallest all-residential building in Providence until late 2007, when the Waterplace Towers were completed.

The Macaroni Riots were a series of civil disturbances that took place in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, in 1914. The first riot occurred on the night of August 29 and was followed by additional nights of rioting on August 30 and September 7. The food riot stemmed from an increase in the price of food, particularly pasta products such as macaroni, that affected the predominately Italian American population of Federal Hill in 1914. On August 22, socialist activists held a peaceful rally to protest the price increases, and on August 29, another rally turned violent as a mob of about 1,000 people marched down Atwells Avenue and looted the store of Frank P. Ventrone, a local food wholesaler who had been accused of profiteering. The angry mob caused thousands of dollars in damages and threw pasta products into the streets before police officers restored order. Additional rioting broke out the following night. Following this, socialist activists negotiated with Ventrone's associates and were able to broker a deal where he would sell his product at a reduced cost. Following a peaceful week, another riot occurred on the night of September 7 following a Labor Day rally that caused more property damage than the previous two riots combined. While additional rallies and protests occurred after this, the price protests slowly died down. The rioting, which resulted in several thousand dollars in property damage, was the most severe civil disturbance in Providence since the Dorr Rebellion of 1841. In the end, 50 people were arrested and several dozen were injured, including at least 14 by gunshot wounds. Most of the arrested were charged with reveling and given light fines, while two people were found guilty of more severe charges and sentenced to several months in jail. In addition to the price increases, historians point to anti-Italian discrimination, especially among the police, and organization by radical groups such as the Industrial Workers of the World as contributing to the violence.

The Providence Fruit and Produce Warehouse Company Building was a historic building located at 6-64 Harris Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island. The building, a large three story warehouse facility, was built in 1929 by Jenks & Ballou, architects and engineers, with modest Moderne styling. The building served from 1929 to 1998 as the major distribution center for fresh fruits and vegetables in the state of Rhode Island, and was one of the centerpieces of the provisioning warehouse district of Providence north of the city center. Several of its bays were demolished in the 1980s to make way for a highway ramp, and the building was taken over by the state in 1998 and closed. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.The building was demolished in 2008 by Carpionato Properties to great controversy from local government and citizens.

The Amica Mutual Pavilion (originally Providence Civic Center and formerly Dunkin' Donuts Center ("The Dunk")) is an indoor arena located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for the emerging Providence College Friars men's basketball program, due to the high demand for tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as for a home arena for the then–Providence Reds, who played in the nearly 50-year-old Rhode Island Auditorium. Current tenants include the Providence Bruins ice hockey team, of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team, of the Big East Conference. The center is operated by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which also operates the Rhode Island Convention Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

The Dean is a 52-room boutique hotel located at 122 Fountain Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The building's use as a hotel was part of a renewal project centered in downtown Providence.

Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC) is a three-day comic convention held during November at the Rhode Island Convention Center, Amica Mutual Pavilion, and Omni Providence Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. The convention was Rhode Island's first Comic Con. Organizers also run Terror Con, a horror convention at the same location.

The A.F. Cappelli Block is a historic mixed-use commercial and residential building at 263 Atwells Avenue, facing DePasquale Plaza in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. It is a four-story brick structure, with two storefronts on the ground floor, and residential units on the upper floors. It is faced in red brick, with tan bricks at the corners giving it a quoined appearance. The store fronts feature original cast iron finishes. It was built in 1909 by Antonio Cappelli, and was (then as now) one of the tallest buildings in the Federal Hill area.The block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The First Universalist Church is a historic church at 250 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The brick Gothic church was designed by Edwin L. Howland, a prominent local architect, and built in 1871–72. It is the third sanctuary for a congregation that was founded in 1821 through the efforts of Reverend John Murray, "the founder of American Universalism". It is one of the few remaining church buildings in central Providence, an area that once housed a large number of churches.The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.