Officially established by 1772 for the benefit of all, Benefit Street is arguably the most historic thoroughfare in Rhode Island. Some of Providence s most prominent families, including the Browns (the namesake of Brown University), built stately homes on Benefit Street s hillside, many of which still stand today. Threatened by years of neglect, the Providence Preservation Society intervened in the 1950s to save the buildings that line the street. Benefit Street has survived the dangers of demolition and now bears witness to disparate time periods and communities. It is the site of important educational and community institutions, including the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, the First Baptist Church, and the Providence Athenaeum, the fourth oldest library in the United States. Providence s Benefit Street showcases the rich history of Rhode Island s capital, a tangible history that can be experienced firsthand by walking one mile through the heart of the city."

After her husband dies, Angie Russo makes an unexpected move: to an old house on historic Benefit Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Angie's house is haunted. But by whom? The spirit of a little boy lost? Or the ghosts of Angie's past? As Angie tries to move on with her life, things keep going bump in the night. She hears voices. She sees her dead husband at the bedroom door. Stairs creak; windows rattle in the still of the night. The house on Benefit Street is filled with secrets...from attic to cellar. Angie wants to stay and build a new life...but the house on Benefit Street has other ideas...

Providence's Benefit Street showcases the rich history of Rhode Island's capital, a tangible history that can be experienced firsthand by walking one mile through the heart of the city. Officially established by 1772 for "the benefit of all," Benefit Street is arguably the most historic thoroughfare in Rhode Island. Some of Providence's most prominent families, including the Browns (the namesake of Brown University), built stately homes on Benefit Street's hillside, many of which still stand today. Threatened by years of neglect, the Providence Preservation Society intervened in the 1950s to save the buildings that line the street. Benefit Street has survived the dangers of demolition and now bears witness to disparate time periods and communities. It is the site of important educational and community institutions, including the Rhode Island School of Design, Brown University, the First Baptist Church, and the Providence Athenaeum, the fourth oldest library in the United States.

Dave Brussat has made a significant contribution to the history of Providence. For those interested in that history, Lost Providence is a real find. Providence Journal Providence has one of the nation's most intact historic downtowns and is one of America's most beautiful cities. The history of architectural change in the city is one of lost buildings, urban renewal plans and challenges to preservation. The Narragansett Hotel, a lost city icon, hosted many famous guests and was demolished in 1960. The American classical renaissance expressed itself in the Providence National Bank, tragically demolished in 2005. Urban renewal plans such as the Downtown Providence plan and the College Hill plan threatened the city in the mid-twentieth century. Providence eventually embraced its heritage through plans like the River Relocation Project that revitalized the city's waterfront and the Downcity Plan that revitalized its downtown. Author David Brussat chronicles the trials and triumphs of Providence's urban development.

When he moves from Los Angeles to Providence, Rhode Island, Kenny discovers that his new house is haunted by the spirit of a black slave boy who asks Kenny to return with him to the early nineteenth century and prevent his murder by slave traders.