Federal Hill, Providence, Rhode Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Federal Hill
|
|
|---|---|
DePasquale Plaza is the heart of Federal Hill
|
|
Providence neighborhoods with Federal Hill in red
|
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Rhode Island |
| County | Providence County |
| City | Providence |
Federal Hill is a lively neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. It's located just west of the city's Downtown area, separated by Interstate 95. For a long time, Federal Hill has been a special place for Providence's Italian American community. Today, it's known as Providence's "Little Italy" because it has so many Italian restaurants, food markets, and cultural spots.
Contents
Exploring Federal Hill's Location
Federal Hill is surrounded by different streets and highways. Westminster Street is to the south. Route 6 and Route 10 are to the west and north. Interstate 95 is to the east. This neighborhood shares borders with Downtown on the east. It also borders Smith Hill and Valley to the north. To the west is Olneyville. The West End and South Providence are to the south.
Atwells Avenue: The Heart of the Neighborhood
Atwells Avenue is the most important street in Federal Hill. It's famous for its many restaurants, especially between Interstate 95 and Harris Avenue. You can also find other businesses here. These include sandwich and pizza shops, convenience stores, a hotel, and even tattoo parlors.
The large arch over Atwells Avenue is a well-known landmark in Providence. A sculpture called "La Pigna" hangs from its middle. "La Pigna" means "The Pine Cone" in Italian. It's a traditional Italian symbol that means welcome, plenty, and good quality. Many people mistakenly call it "The Pineapple." This pine cone has become a symbol for Federal Hill.
Other important streets include Broadway. Here you'll find restaurants, offices, and the historic Columbus Theater. This theater shows movies and hosts live performances. Most of Federal Hill is residential, meaning people live there. Many college students also live in the area. Johnson and Wales University has a dormitory called Renaissance Hall on Federal Hill.
Many smaller streets in the old part of the neighborhood are one-way. This is because they are very narrow. Some streets are still paved with cobblestone, which are rounded stones.
DePasquale Plaza and Its Fountain
DePasquale Plaza is often called "the heart of the neighborhood." It's a popular place for eating outdoors and watching people. The plaza has a large fountain in the middle. Restaurants with outdoor seating surround the fountain. The fountain was fully repaired in July 2020. It cost about $500,000 to fix.
A Look at Federal Hill's Past
Federal Hill got its name after a special celebration in 1788. This event was an ox roast held on the flat land next to the hill. The people organizing it wanted to celebrate the ratification of the Federal Constitution. This meant enough states had agreed to create the United States. However, some people in Rhode Island did not agree with the new Constitution. General William West led 1,000 armed farmers to Providence to stop the celebration. They eventually agreed to celebrate only Independence Day, not the Constitution. Rhode Island was the last of the original thirteen states to join the union, two years later.
The area was first called Nocabulabet. This name is believed to come from a Narragansett or Wampanoag phrase. It likely meant "land above the river" or "land between the ancient waters."
Atwells Avenue is named after Amos Maine Atwell. He was a businessman who helped develop the western parts of the city in 1788. The area became a place where working-class people lived in the early 1800s.
Immigrants Make Federal Hill Their Home
In 1840, only the lower streets of Federal Hill were settled. Most residents were Irish immigrants who worked in nearby factories. By the early 1850s, many two and three-story buildings were built on Atwells Avenue. These homes housed a large number of people who came from Ireland. Many of them were fleeing the famine from 1845 to 1851. A big group came from a place called the Barony of Truagh.
In the 1870s, the first immigrants from southern Italy began to arrive. Even more came in the next two decades. By 1895, the neighborhood had a mix of Irish and Italian residents. These were challenging times, as both groups worked hard for jobs and respect.
In the early 1900s, many more Italian-American immigrants moved to Federal Hill. This made it the city's unofficial "Little Italy." Today, the area is more diverse. However, Federal Hill is still the main center for Providence's Italian-American community. Providence's yearly Columbus Day parade marches down Atwells Avenue. For this parade, the street's middle section is painted with the Italian flag's green, white, and red colors.
Who Lives in Federal Hill?
According to information from the year 2000, most people in Federal Hill were White. There were also many Black or African American, Asian, and Hispanic or Latino residents.
A local group called the Providence Plan works to improve city life. They report that about 47% of residents are white. About 32.1% are Hispanic, and 14.8% are African-American. These numbers are a bit higher than the average for the whole city. Almost half of the children in public schools speak a language other than English at home.
The average family income in Federal Hill is $27,288. This is lower than the city's average. About 28% of families live below the poverty line.
Green Spaces and Parks
Federal Hill has several green spaces along Atwells Avenue:
- Garibaldi Square is a half-acre park. It has a large statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
- DePasquale Plaza is a plaza used for outdoor dining.
- St. John's Park is a small park where St. John's Church used to be.
Another large green space is Franciscan Park. It's also called Bell Street Dog Park. This two-and-a-half-acre dog park is located off Broadway near Route 6.
You can also find the Spruce Street Bocce Courts. These courts have benches and lights for playing bocce. They are home to several local bocce leagues. The Nocabulabet Bocce League is the largest. They play games on Wednesday nights in the spring and fall.
Federal Hill's Famous Food Scene
Federal Hill is well-known for its amazing food. Atwells Avenue has more than twenty restaurants in just a short section. One example is Angelo's Civita Farnese. Because Johnson and Wales University is nearby, many skilled chefs come to Providence. Many of these chefs work in the restaurants on Atwells Avenue.
Federal Hill in Stories
Federal Hill is an important setting in the story "The Haunter of the Dark" by writer H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft was born in Providence. In the story, there's a church on Federal Hill. A group called the Church of Starry Wisdom used this church. The story says the church held a special object called the Shining Trapezohedron. It also housed a creature called the 'Haunter.' This creature was said to be an avatar of Nyarlathotep. The church in the story was based on a real church called St. John's Church. It was on Atwells Avenue, built in 1873, and taken down in 1992. In Lovecraft's time, it was the main Catholic church in the area. The story's description of the church's inside and bell tower is very accurate.
Images for kids
-
An early 19th-century home on Federal Street, before it was taken down.
