The Museum of Westminster Street
Providence, Rhode Island



On Saturday, March 6, Bear and I stopped in Downcity Providence to see the Museum of Westminster Street. The Museum Online had created a museum out of a two-block segment of Westminster Street between Dorrance and Union Streets. Buildings, fixtures, even the sidewalk itself had placards describing their history, and what had been there before them. There were old photographs to give a sense of how the street had changed over the years. It was an interactive experience, and visitors were welcome to wear a sticker that said "Current Exhibit" and a placard stating something about their relationship to Westminster Street. Bear and I did, and we still have those placards at home. We still had them on while skating at Kennedy Plaza, which allowed us to let other people know about the event. I hope they went to see it!

The installation was very fun and informative. We learned a lot about the street and the people on it. Even though Bear and I have walked and shopped Westminster Street many times before, we still discovered architectural details we hadn't known were there.

This is my favorite:

The O'Gorman Building

Just above the O'Gorman sign, you may see a bird. Here's a closeup:


Behind the bird is a blue line that you follow up, up, up four stories, you see its crowning glory

A peacock tail!

We also wandered into a few of the businesses on Westminster Street, including Farmstead Cheese, where we tasted an amazing sheepsmilk cheese called Ewephoria (more on that another time).

This was such a great experiment. It really got people interested in the history and beauty of an important Downcity street, and w hope it's something they repeat in other parts of the city, and even turn into an annual event.