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Last Updated: 1:15am
Last Updated: 1:15am
Kennedy Plaza is modern Providence’s main hub for transportation — as many as 69,000 people move through this site daily. Created as Exchange Place in the 19th century, this plaza has always served transportation needs. Thousands of people stood here to see President Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Houdini, and presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Today Kennedy Plaza remains a gathering place for the community, anchored by three city parks, including The Providence Rink, which features ice skating, recreation, music and arts.
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A Civil War memorial, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument currently sits in its third location, which is approximately the same as its original location when dedicated in 1871. When the monument was relocated to the center of Exchange Place in 1913, the height of the pedestal was doubled, from 5 steps to 10, and the cannon balls were separated from the canons. In 2001 the monument was returned to its original height when it was moved back to the west end of what is now Kennedy Plaza, but the cannon balls went away. Photo is circa 1925.
Historical context courtesy of @pvdnowandthen.
Kennedy Plaza is owned and managed by the City of Providence.
50 Exchange Ter, Providence, RI 02903, USA
50 Westminster St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
51 Washington St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
1 Sabin St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
100 Washington St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
72 Spruce St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
71 Washington St, Providence, RI 02903, USA
Join us in preserving and enhancing the Downtown Providence Park Network (DPPN)
30 Exchange Terrace
Providence, RI 02903