Old Rhode Island State House
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Sixth District Court House (Old State House)
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Old State House in 2008
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| Location | 150 Benefit St., Providence, Rhode Island |
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| Coordinates | 41°49′44″N 71°24′34″W / 41.82889°N 71.40944°WCoordinates: 41°49′44″N 71°24′34″W / 41.82889°N 71.40944°W |
| Built | 1762 |
| Architectural style | Georgian architecture |
| Part of | College Hill Historic District (#70000019) |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000092 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 28, 1970 |
| Designated NHLDCP | November 10, 1970 |
The Old State House on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island, known also as Providence Sixth District Court House, Providence Colony House, Providence County House, or Rhode Island State House is located on 150 Benefit Street. It is a brick Georgian-style building completed largely in 1762. It was used as the meeting place for the colonial and state legislatures for 149 years.
From colonial times to the mid-19th century, the Rhode Island General Assembly rotated meetings between the state's five county court houses, and five of these former Rhode Island state houses survive today. In 1760 The General Assembly built the Old State House to replace an earlier wooden courthouse built 1730 on Meeting Street. It was largely finished by 1762 with some details being completed by 1771. Many of the Georgian architecture details were borrowed from the larger and more ornate Newport Colony House. Before 19th century alterations to the Providence State House, the two buildings resembled one another greatly. After 1853 the state legislature ceased meeting at Kent, Washington and Bristol county courthouses, but continued to alternate its sessions between here and the Newport State House in Newport into the early 20th century.
The building was extensively renovated and dramatically altered several times in the 19th century. The first of these occurred in 1835-36 and 1840, and consisted of rearrangement of large portions of the interior. It was again altered in 1850, when Thomas A. Tefft of Tallman & Bucklin added the large tower facing Main Street, and a reorganization of nearly the entire interior. In 1867 James C. Bucklin designed an addition on Benefit Street that nearly doubled the size of the building. Both of these additions were sympathetic to the building's original design. The building was refurbished in 1877-83, to designs by Stone & Carpenter.
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