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Inside a Work of Art in Providence – Rhode Island Monthly

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Inside a Work of Art in Providence – Rhode Island Monthly


The sleek white kitchen has sunny views of downtown Providence. Photography by Angel Tucker

Allison Spain and her husband had just finished their second home renovation project when they saw an 1867 Italianate for sale on Providence’s Benefit Street.

The home had been vacant for years. The roof leaked, trees branched through windows and the rooms were cloaked in layers of dated wallpaper and musty carpeting. 

But it mattered none — Allison was smitten with its ornate details and hardware, the marble fireplaces, the flowers hand-painted by the previous owner, the high ceilings and hardwood floors she knew could be burnished to a bright glow.

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Ornate details, a vintage chandelier and marble fireplace frame the living room. Photography by Angel Tucker

“I was overwhelmed by the amount of work it needed, but I just loved it so much,” Allison says. 

They put in a Hail Mary offer, sure that it would be denied. It wasn’t.

William G. Angell, president of the American Screw Company in Providence, built the stately home in 1867. It’s a vestige of Providence’s time as a manufacturing powerhouse, 4,000 square feet of opulence on four floors, with four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths and marble fireplaces scattered throughout. 

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A new tile floor in the foyer is similar to one in Allison’s mother’s childhood home in the Azores. Photography by Angel Tucker

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For a brief period — 1933 to 1941 — the home was deeded to Swan Point Cemetery. Frances Stanton, a talented artist and member of the Providence Art Club who taught at CCRI, lived there for decades until her death in 2019. It sat vacant until the Spains bought it in July 2023. 

Allison, a Providence native, moved back home to be closer to her parents, who’d settled in Bristol. A nurse by training, she adored the architecture and charm of the old homes in the area. She and her husband, Ben, renovated two houses in the capital city — first on Irving Avenue and then on Savoy Street — before they found the one on Benefit Street.  

“I enjoy bringing things that are in rough shape into something beautiful and making a home,” Allison says. “I think that correlates with nursing a little bit, too. It’s like taking care of things — being a good steward of the property, and then also taking care of the people who live there.”

Ben started demo right after closing, with Allison, their two children and two dogs moving in with her parents. During the days, she helped him pull up carpets, scrape off wallpaper and remove asbestos tiles from the third floor while wearing a respirator mask in the stifling August heat. 

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A mirror belonging to former owner Frances Stanton hangs in the dining room. Photography by Angel Tucker

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It took them eight hours — per room — to peel off the padding underneath all that carpeting. They refinished and stained the floors an ebony shade, restored most of the windows, which were in terrible shape, and replaced the leaking roof. They couldn’t save Stanton’s delicate flower mural in the kitchen, but tenderly cleaned and restored several mirrors and chandeliers she left behind. 

With all the large projects finished, the family officially moved in in October 2023.

In a final nod to Stanton’s legacy, they painted all the rooms in gleaming white tones.

“Frances was an artist. I just thought, ‘Let’s do an art gallery,’” Allison says. “I mean, you walk into an art gallery and it’s all white. I view this house as a piece of art.”

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Homeowner Allison Spain painted the front door a mossy green to match the mail slot’s verdigris. Photography by Angel Tucker





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Video: Massive great white shark feeds on dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island

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Video: Massive great white shark feeds on dead whale off the coast of Rhode Island


RHODE ISLAND – It’s not often you can get so close to such a dangerous beast like a great white shark, but that is exactly what one boater was able to do in Rhode Island.

A large 15-foot great white shark was spotted feasting on a dead whale in the ocean off the coast of Rhode Island.

STAY SHARK SMART: WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU HEAD INTO THE WATER

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Despite a reputation for inhabiting waters in Australia and South Africa, great white sharks can be found in temperate waters around the world, as their habitat preferences can change as they age, according to National Geographic.

Video footage shared by Ian Shilosky shows many birds hovering around the whale carcass, trying to get a nibble without getting too close to the 15-foot beast.

SEE IT: SPERM WHALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA IN RARE ENCOUNTER OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST

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The shark shows off its brutal strength, ripping large chunks from the whale with its 2 to 3-inch razor-sharp teeth, before diving underwater to consume its meal.

“White shark sightings are few and far between until a whale dies and then they seem to appear out of nowhere as this one did,” the Atlantic Shark Institute said on social media.

The great white shark grows slowly, with males maturing at around 26 years and females at around 33, according to NOAA.

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These creatures range in age from 30 to over 70 years old, and they can weigh up to 4,500 pounds.

DEEP-SEA DISCOVERY UNCOVERS ONE OF THE LARGEST KNOWN WHALE GRAVEYARDS ON THE FLOOR OF THE INDIAN OCEAN

Adult great whites usually swim along shorelines where there is a known food source, such as seals or sea lions.

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12-YEAR-OLD AMERICAN BOY ATTACKED BY SHARK WHILE VACATIONING IN THE BAHAMAS

As the largest predatory fish in the world, great white sharks tend to eat a variety of fish, rays, squid, seabirds, sea turtles, dolphins and more.





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Lego convention returns to Warwick

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Lego convention returns to Warwick


Rhode Island’s Lego Fan Convention Returned to the West Warwick Civic Center.

Professional Lego artists from around the country displayed their creations and connect with fans.

There are meet and greet opportunities with Lego celebrities too.

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Fans can also show off their own skills in the event’s Brick Pits.



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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC

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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s 1st Choice for Wedding Was Rhode Island: Why They Pivoted to NYC


Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce initially had their sights set on a marvelous coastal wedding, multiple sources exclusively tell Us Weekly.

“Taylor and Travis really wanted their wedding in Rhode Island, and June 13 was the date, but security wouldn’t have worked because it could get out of hand with that kind of scale of an event,” an insider says.

Though everything was initially being planned in Rhode Island — where Swift, 36, has a mansion in the lavish Watch Hill neighborhood of Westerly — the insider notes the pop star had booked multiple venues from coast to coast on different dates.

According to the source, “Ocean House [in Westerly] was planned at one point, and then plans changed to New York.”

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Taylor Swift’s Wedding Guests Don’t Know Ceremony Location — Yet

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are keeping wedding day details under wraps  — even from their invited guests. “Taylor and Travis told guests to be in NYC. No other location was provided,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly, noting that invitees only know to be in the Big Apple on Thursday, July 2 and Friday, […]

The insider, meanwhile, tells Us that Swift’s security “had to assess all the venues to see what made sense.”

“Rhode Island wasn’t great because the nature of the access and the perimeters were too difficult to secure,” the source explains. “So the main issue with Rhode Island ended up being security.”

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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
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“Everything was being planned in Rhode Island,” added a source. “And so many people wanted to come that plans had to change because it became bigger.”

Swift and Kelce, 36, are now rumored to be tying the knot at Madison Square Garden in New York City over the July 4 holiday weekend. While the exact location and date of the nuptials have not yet been confirmed, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to hint at the wedding taking place in the city during a June 15 press conference earlier this month.

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“I am fully confident in the work of the NYPD, as well as our state partners, in delivering that safe experience,” he told reporters. “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for the [World Cup]. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”

Additionally, a permit was filed with NYC in June, the mayor’s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to Us after The New York Times reported on a permit to close the streets surrounding MSG from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3.

City sources also confirmed to Us that the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), which issues the permits, is in touch with the NYPD regarding a possible influx of street and pedestrian traffic.

Though Swift and Kelce’s Rhode Island wedding plans fell through, the “I Knew It, I Knew You” singer’s Watch Hill mansion had an uptick in action last week when security was spotted swarming the area. A group of unidentified women were reportedly seen on the balcony wearing matching robes — three in black and one in white — sparking speculation about a bachelorette party.

A woman who appeared to be Swift’s childhood friend Abigail Anderson Berard was also seen on the property with her 2-year-old son.

Meanwhile, Travis celebrated what was perceived as his bachelor party in Los Angeles and San Diego. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end and his brother, Jason Kelce, as well as Travis’ teammate Patrick Mahomes and others, were spotted at a Chris Lake concert, a Dave Chappelle comedy show, a night out at the members-only Bird Street Club and more.

Swift and Kelce began dating in the summer of 2023 and got engaged in August 2025.

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