The character of College Hill can certainly be seen through the buildings and structures that exist in this historic area, but the community is what sets it apart from other locations. The recognition of being a “Top 10  Neighborhood” by APA comes from the cultural and environmental awareness. College Hill is constantly finding innovative ways to create a sustainable area, while preserving the historical and architectural characteristics that make it unique.

The University culture of Brown and RISD make the importance of these concepts obvious as they integrate refreshing ideas into the community every day. Exploring the vast mix of restaurants, shops and scenery of College Hill provides for a rich cultural experience. With so many things to do and see, this arsty neighborhood is universally appealing. Checking out the reasons why College Hill is a “Top 10 Neighborhood” would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon, or weekend.

As a company who markets the atmosphere and architecture that make College Hill so original, this has almost become second nature to us.  As we take a step back, it is fascinating to see the significance of this neighborhood and how it has developed to be a cultural identity for the city of Providence.

Open Houses on the East Side:

View East Side Luxury Condo Event in a larger map

Open Houses in Edgewood:

View Edgewood Luxury Condo Event in a larger map

Individual open house times and details may be viewed either on the map or at ResidentialProperties.com, for a list of all open houses in the Edgewood and East Side areas.

189 Hope Street, a property known by many for its wedding cake resemblance, has a certain creative flair that is unusual to Second Empire houses in Providence. The architectural detailing is exquisite, with ornate molding throughout that reminds one of frosted elegance. Built in 1877 for Horatio N Campbell, this 8000 sq ft home in the heart of Brown combines the intricate design of our forefathers with the convenience of today. For more information on the home, contact the Taylor Group.

In order to help you plan your visits, we have created these interactive maps with pictures and property details.

Northern Rhode Island:

View a map of Northern RI Open Houses for Sunday October 3rd.

East Side of Providence:

View a map of East Side and Providence Open Houses for Sunday, October 3rd.

Cranston:

View a map of Edgewood and Cranston Open Houses for Sunday, October 3rd.

The East Bay:

View a map of East Bay Open Houses for Sunday, October 3rd.

East Greenwich:

View a map of East Greenwich Open Houses for Sunday October 3rd.

Our COO, Libby Isaacson, placed third in her age group for the Shape Up RI half-marathon with a time of 1:54:25. (She makes a brief cameo in the video around the 39 second mark.) Joe Luca finished the Shape Up RI half-marathon with a time of 1:52:41 and Leslie Kellogg finished with a time of 1:56:06. Bethany Calitri finished the Harpoon 5k with a time of 33:24.

Here are the overall winners of each race. Scott Leslie from Rutland, MA was the male winner of the Cox Sports Marathon with a time of 2:35:45 and Jennifer Edelmann of Boston, MA was the female winner with a time of 3:01:02. For the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon, the male winner was Phil Reutlinger of Old Lyme, CT with a time of 1:12:36 and the female winner was Diana Davis of Providence, RI with a time of 1:25:59. Winners of the Harpoon 5k were Chris Magill of Cumberland, RI with a time of 16:45 and Michaela Driscoll of Coventry, RI with a time of 18:36.

Results of the 2010 race can be seen on the Rhode Races’ website. The weather was perfect at the start of the races with the temperature reaching 80 degrees later in the day. Seeing such a large turnout of runners, walkers and supporters was encouraging.

The full marathon route will follow a path down through Riverside and past the Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, before returning to Providence. The Shape Up RI Half-Marathon will wind its way through Providence’s East Side and up Blackstone Boulevard into the Oak Hill section of Pawtucket and back to the plaza. The Harpoon 5K participants will run around the “Knowledge” District and back into downtown.

Course maps are available for the Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5k online and they are marked with “Spectator Viewing Areas” for the best spots to watch the races. For runners, there are “Water Stations” and “Aid Stations” marked on the maps as well. A celebration will be held at the conclusion of the races with awards given for first place winners in a number of categories based on age and gender.

Several of the runners in our offices will be in the races – Libby Isaacson (2601), Leslie Kellogg (2681), and Joe Luca (2872) will be participating in the Shape Up RI Half-Marathon; and Bethany Calitri (5134) is signed up for the Harpoon 5K. So, find a convenient location and cheer the runners as they pass by you.

In more positive news, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors reported 395 sales in January, a 9% increase from January 2009. The median price rose 14% to $200,000, and days on the market fell 24% to 83.  Condo sales rose 28%, prices remained virtually the same, and days on the market rose 2 percent.  Multi-unit sales fell 21 percent, while price increased 21 percent and days on the market fell 36%.  While January is typically the slowest month for home sales, weather has been on our side unlike other parts of the country that have been paralyzed by record snow this season.

However, the housing market remains vulnerable with unemployment at high levels and consumer confidence lagging. When looking across the country, the housing market is flat.  We also have a long way to go to recover to the home values of 2006.  So, we are not out of the woods just yet, but clear fields are getting closer.

And if the trend is your friend, moving upward or even sideways is better than having a further contraction. Getting back to the activity level, our offices are operating at high levels in this traditionally slow time of year. Maybe it is all the rain we’ve been getting instead of snow. Hopefully, this will continue into the spring market.

Gallery Night Providence offers just this.  Every third Thursday from March-November, galleries throughout Providence open their doors to the public.  The event offers free parking at 7 locations, “Art Bus” tours, and a central information booth which recently relocated to Regency Plaza on Greene Street.

Gallery tours cover Downtown, the East Side, West Side and Wickenden Street (home to our Providence office).  The next gallery night is June 12th.  For your first time, catch the Art Bus at Regency Plaza.  The bus runs from 5 to 9 p.m., with the final run at 8:40 p.m.

See you at Gallery Night!

Click here to view Open Houses.

Stay tuned for our next Extravaganza: “May Day Open Houses” coming May 3rd!