Providence Parks

History

Located along the Fred Lippitt Memorial Bikeway, this park was formerly the site of the Providence Merino Mill. Like other textile mills along the Woonasquatucket River, it harnessed water power to operate. The mill building remained until 1994 when it burned down and was demolished in 1997. This brownfield site was capped in 2006, with additional remediation taking place into 2007 and again from Oct 2010-May 2011. The park was opened to the public in 2019, a full 25 years following the mill fire.

The park is accessible via the Woonasquatucket Greenway, Merino Park , and the Barbara Street Gateway Pavilion.

Recent Improvements

• A ribbon cutting ceremony for Phase II took place on October 21, 2024. Phase II added a mini-ramp, re-imagined skate/bike features, and a pavilion on the Barbara Street at Ponagansett Avenue entrance.
• Phase I completed in October 2019. The Pump track, Single track bike course, and Parkour areas were added at this time. Many storm-water management features and cameras were also added.