Reservoir Pumping Station
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Pump House Restaurant (Reservoir Pumping Station)
1889, Willard Kent; built by Partelow and Bullock with Louis F. Bell. 1464 Kingstown Rd.
The pumping station is a picturesque attempt at industrial rusticity which contrasts with the functional approach of the mill opposite. Porte-cochere and rustic stack dominate this melding composition of hipped and gable roofs, which slope to a flaring curve at the eaves. The predominance of curved openings, arches, and oculi enhances the naturalistic contours of the building and suggests Queen Anne influence. So do small-paned windows, the interior woodwork, and even a fireplace in the pump room. Such deliberate efforts at charm in an industrial structure, more typical of country estates than of town reservoirs, suit its present use. The country builders responsible for the Peace Dale Congregational Church and probably for the Peace Dale Library also collaborated on this.
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