Thayer Street, College Hill Rhode Island

Along Thayer Street in Providence, Rhode Island is a number of restaurants and shops where most of the people from the different schools on College Hill come together. These include the Avon Cinema, the Au Bon Pain, Johnny Rockets, City Sports, the Urban Outfitters, the Chipotle Mexican Grill and, of course, Starbucks. One of the most popular locations on Thayer Street is the independent-business called “The Spot On”. It is a center owned by a group of local residents, namely Keven Blanchette, Josh Wills, Nick Cardi, and Josh Fulford. “The Spot On” is used by College Hill residents for seminars, classes, and meetings. It is also common venue for artists’ display and exhibitions. Originally, the area was occupied by Boston-based music store “In Your Ear”.

The continuous increase of commercial establishments on Thayer Street is becoming a problem for College Hill residents. There are not enough parking slots to accommodate all of the restaurants’ customers, and this disrupts the traffic flow. Neighboring communities are complaining of the noise the students make. To try to keep things under control, the College Hill Neighborhood Association, which is an organization of College Hill residents, closely monitor the businesses in the area. Much to the dismay of many students, the association has taken it upon itself to oppose all applications for liquor licenses made by restaurants and stores on Thayer Street.

Thayer Street is in the College Hill neighborhood, and as such, is a dynamic hub of students from Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design, the Providence College, the Moses Brown School, the Wheeler School, and the Johnson Wales University. Brown University is part of the highly respected group of educational institutions known as the Ivy League. It is a private university founded in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island in Warren. It was moved to College Hill in 1770 and was renamed Brown University in 1804 after Nicholas Brown. Brown University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education not just in New England, but in the whole of the United States.

The Rhode Island School of Design is considered to be one of the finest schools for the arts worldwide. It was founded in 1877 and since then has produced numerous alumni who have become established icons in their fields. The Providence College, located near River Avenue, is a Catholic college founded in 1917. While the Rhode Island School of Design is known for its intensive fine arts program, the Providence College is known for its liberal arts and science curriculums. The Johnson & Wales University is a business school founded in 1914 by Mary T. Wales and Gertrude I. Johnson. It offers courses on business, technology, culinary arts, hospitality, and education.

The Moses Brown School was founded in 1784 by Moses Brown who was a Quaker abolitionist. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious preparatory schools in the United States.