About Shepard Company Building
Historic Architecture, Architecture, Interesting Places, Other Buildings And Structures
The Shepard Company Building is an historic building at 259 Westminster Mall, 72-92 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. A prominent landmark in the Providence downtown, it occupies an entire city block, and housed Shepard's, one of New England's largest department stores, for many decades. The building grew in stages, starting as a modest three-story Italianate structure at the corner of Clemence and Washington in 1880. Beginning in 1896 the company embarked on a rapid expansion, designed by Martin & Hall, which was largely completed by 1903. The building was struck by fire in 1920, but rebuilt under Hall's supervision. The building is currently owned by the State of Rhode Island and houses the Feinstein Campus of the University of Rhode Island, the Providence Campus of the Community College of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Education, and other state offices.
