PPS's Festival of Architecture and Design: Benefit Street House Tour

This program is part of Providence Preservation Society's Festival of Architecture and Design (Sep 26 - Oct 30, 2026). You can find !

Please note: This event is open to PPS members only. If you are not a member of PPS and would like to join, you may

Join PPS’s Executive Director for the first event of the 2026 Festival – a guided tour of seven historically significant homes on and along Benefit Street built between 1737 and 1864.

The earliest home on the tour, one of the city’s oldest surviving buildings, was built for Benjamin Cushing, a wealthy furrier and hatter who exported fur to England in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The tour includes one other Pre-Revolutionary War home built in the 1770s on Church Street and five homes that date between 1835 and 1865. One home was originally built to house a chapel, missionary offices and a small schoolroom for a Unitarian congregation that provided direct service and classes for working-class families in the city. Another, on Burr’s Lane, was occupied by Doctor B. Jones, an African-American coachman employed nearby at 30 Benefit Street, who purchased it in 1895. For architecture buffs, the homes include Georgian, Greek Revival, Italianate, and Second Empire styles.

We will spend about 25 minutes at each home. Please note that some homes will open all rooms for the tour, and some will open living/dining space and gardens only.

PPS received a grant from the RI250 Commission to research the history of all of Providence’s buildings that were built before or during the Revolutionary War. New unpublished research from this project will be shared during this tour. The total distance covered is nearly 2 miles, so please wear comfortable shoes and bring water if needed. Disposable booties will be provided by PPS for use at the homes, and no photography, videography or food/drink will be allowed inside.

Please note that many of the homes have three stories with very steep, narrow staircases.

Tickets: $85 PPS Members Only

All tickets are fully refundable up to seven days in advance of each program. After that, tickets are nonrefundable because we may not be able to sell the released tickets within a short timeframe. Thanks for your understanding!