Antram-Gray House, Roger Williams National Memorial: Historic Structure Report

Gilmore, Andrea

The purpose of this historic structure report was to study and document the evolution of the Antram-Gray House. Special attention was given to the documentation of the architectural fabric of the second floor, since this area may be altered significantly if adaptively reused for park offices. The findings presented in this report will serve as a guide for all future use proposals for the Antram-Gray House. The Antram-Gray House is located at the corner of North Main and Smith Streets in Providence, Rhode Island. It is an early 18th-century structure with a late 18th century addition. The original, north portion of the house was built ca. 1730 on the west--or water side--of North Main Street, a very early road originally called Towne Street. This portion of the house is one of the few structures in Providence that survive from the city's earliest period of commercial and maritime development. The original portion of the Antram-Gray House is a simple wood-frame structure of 2 1/2 stories, with a gable roof. The ridge of the roof runs north-south; the primary, east elevation faces north Main Street. This portion of the house is two bays wide and four bays deep. The plan of the circa 1730 portion of the house is atypical for early 18th-century Rhode Island houses. Most noteworthy is the absence of fireplaces in all but the central rooms on the first and second floors, and the placement of the chimney in the slope of the gable roof, rather than on the gable end. These differences in plan suggest that it may have been built for a combined residential/commercial use, rather than a strictly residential use. As a result it is a rare example of an early 18th-century, mixed use structure. The purpose of this historic structure report was to study and document the evolution of the Antram-Gray House. Special attention was given to the documentation of the architectural fabric of the second floor, since this area may be altered significantly if adaptively reused for park offices. The findings presented in this report will serve as a guide for all future use proposals for the Antram-Gray House.