Providence Parks

History

Blackstone Boulevard is 1.6 mile-long, 100-foot wide median with two roadways alongside it, each with a bicycle and traffic lane.  The park hosts frequent summer concerts and other outdoor events.

The most heavily- used walking path in Providence, Blackstone Boulevard was once owned by Swan Point Cemetery. In 1902, the city established a trolley line (where the walking path is today) with the goal of making the cemetery more accessible to the public. The trolley line remained active until 1948. The boulevard was initially built according to the designs of Horace Cleveland in 1886, and planting was later carried out according to recommendations from the Olmstead brothers (“History,” Blackstone Parks Conservancy).

A bronze statue of Constance Witherby stands at the boulevard’s intersection with Clarendon Street. Known as A Memorial to Young Womanhood (or The Spirit of Youth), the statue honors a student from the Lincoln School who died of heart failure in the Swiss Alps just before her 16th birthday. Originally placed in Constance Witherby Park in 1930, the city moved the statue to its present location after instances of vandalism towards the end of the 20th century. Witherby’s brother organized the landscaping and planting of the area surrounding the statue. Witherby was herself a poet–the author of the phrase written on the statue–and her poems were published posthumously as a collection called Sunshine & Stardust (“Statue,” Blackstone Parks Conservancy).

Recent Improvements

• A project is underway to add wayfinding and information signage to the park.
• A central section of the trail was refurbished in 2021.