904 Rhode Island Street

Built before 1889, this beautiful brick house at 904 Rhode Island helps anchor one of the most historically important corners in Lawrence. Located at East Ninth two blocks from downtown and two blocks from nationally recognized St. Luke AME Church, a passionate local preservationist is making great progress with this award-winning renovation.

The home was most likely built by German–American members of the Turnverein community organization, who also built the Turnhalle next door. It is a contributing property to the North Rhode Island Residential District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

After stewardship by the Ernst family for 80 years, the LPA purchased the property to place covenants on architecturally significant features. Angie Blair, who has renovated other historic Lawrence homes, purchased the building in December 2018. Since then, she and her team have poured a love of preservation into every corner of the historically accurate rehabilitation.

Before and after photos of 904 Rhode Island show the restored original windows, handcrafted trim, re-pointed brickwork, and a classic Lawrence brick walkway.

Angie decided to save and repair the home’s original plastered walls because, she says, “plaster helps preserve the historic value of the home, and it’s a higher-grade product than commercial sheetrock because it’s stronger.” Angie worked with local plasterer Tom Wheat to remove countless layers of wallpaper and re-plaster every wall. Painting is now in progress. 

The original windows were saved and restored thanks to LPA’s architectural covenants.

The elegant windows were painstakingly disassembled, repaired and reinstalled by Angie’s friend and master craftsman, Carl Arnett, to comply with the home’s architectural convenants. Missing pieces were replaced with sections cut from vintage salvaged wood.

Serious sweat equity went into achieving this impressive result!

Missing staircase balusters were crafted by Carl to match the originals. Rather than replace the wavy, well-worn stair treads, the team preserved them to tell the story of the passage of time. And the old hardwood floors were solid and plumb after 130 years, so they were simply buffed and finished rather than replaced. 

Millie supervises the back porch construction. The utility room addition updates the house for livability while adhering to historic preservation covenants.

The team’s thoughtful approach is also evident behind the house. A new utility room was cleverly tucked into the rebuilt and expanded back porch, complete with period fixtures and a doggie door for Angie’s one-year-old Lab mix, Millie. The addition conforms to the historic preservation covenants attached to the house while creating new functionality for today’s lifestyles.

By making wise choices and taking extra care, Angie and the 904 Rhode Island team are stewarding the existing quality materials and construction to make this property a true preservation showplace. The LPA salutes their great effort!