“The sprawling, historic complex of buildings is a stunning reminder of Providence's industrial might from the late-19th to the mid-20th century," according to the RIHPHC. Edward F. Sanderson, executive director of the commission said, ‘National Register designation gives recognition to the importance of Brown & Sharpe in the history of Providence and the nation.’” – The Providence-Journal, May 27, 2003
Brown & Sharpe originated in 1833 in the South Main Street shop of David Brown & Son, makers and repairers of clocks, watches and light precision tools. The firm took its present name in 1853 when Brown's son, Joseph, made Lucian Sharpe a full partner. Inventions flowed constantly from the small shop, including the first automatic machine for graduating rules (1850) and the precision Gear Cutting and Dividing Engine (1855).
With business booming and the company expanding – including 300 employees working at 14 different locations – Brown & Sharpe purchased land on Promenade Street along the Woonasquatucket River in 1872. Employee Thomas McFarlane designed the first building – a 66,000-square-foot, brick, cast-iron and concrete structure that included spaces for all the company's functions - from design studios to production areas. The company filled out its 33-acre parcel (later reduced to 25 acres when a portion of the site was cleared to accommodate Route 95) with buildings closely linked with the development of various machine-tool products. Among the structures are a carpenter shop, powerhouse, machine shops, warehouses, grinding shop and steel storage bins.
By 1964 Brown and Sharpe had outgrown the location on Promenade Street and much of its space was functionally obsolescent. They moved their operation to North Kingstown, RI, like many other Providence based manufacturers. With the popularity of the automobile making people more mobile, it was a logical time to move to the suburbs where a lot of their workforce had moved.
In 1968, a group led by Antonio Guerra, a local architect and contractor, purchased the 26 acres of land and buildings from Brown and Sharpe and renamed it the CIC (Capitol Industrial Center). Later changing the name to The Foundry to highlight the concept of merging the old and the new, Mr. Guerra envisioned a large of mixed use campus, the first of its kind in RI. The meticulous care and restoration of the buildings at The Foundry has brought that vision to a reality that can be seen today, with 500,000 sf of office space, and 500,000 sf of multi-family apartments thriving with activity, energy and amenities that set the trend for this type of transformation.
Project Development and management for most of four decades was successfully directed by Mr. Guerra’s son Thomas, who started working with his father at The Foundry when he was 14. The Foundry Team continues to bring unity to the Campus by improving access, creating community spaces and amenities that attract the most talented people and businesses to want to live and work here. Over 500 people call it home, over 50 top businesses with over 2,000 employees conduct business here.
An appreciation for the past, a renewed life for buildings that had been abandoned and the vision to combine it all into a Campus that is once again a destination, is an accomplishment that Antonio Guerra and his family are proud to have completed.
