Sixth District Courthouse - Providence, RI - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The General Assembly of the colony of Rhode Island commissioned the construction of the Old State House in 1760. It replaced a nearby wooden courthouse that was built 1730. The symmetrical design was executed in red brick with brownstone and painted wood trim in the late English Baroque style. The design was inspired by the Colony House (1739-1743) in Newport, RI. The structure was substantially completed by 1762 with additional work done until 1771.

On May 4, 1776, the General Assembly declared its independence from Britain and the building became the capital of an independent Rhode Island. The building was the meeting place of the Rhode Island legislature until 1901, when the new Rhode Island State House began operation. In 1904 the building was refinished and converted into a courthouse. After major internal alterations by Banning & Thornton were completed in 1906, the building re-opened as the Sixth District Courthouse. It remained a courthouse until 1975. Today structure is the headquarters of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.

Street address: 150 Benefit Street Providence, RI United States County / Borough / Parish: Providence Year listed: 1970 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1850-1874, 1750-1799 Historic function: Government Current function: Government Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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