History
Gather RI was founded in 2022 with the vision of a world where communities are rooted in gender equity and where people across identities have meaningful spaces to gather. Gather RI will open to the public in fall 2025 at 189 Broadway—a historic building with a storied past.
189 Broadway: A Timeline
By approximately 1968, a single-story commercial building with a flat roof and cinder block construction emerged on Broadway. While listed as 191 Broadway in Polk's Providence city directory, contemporary photographic evidence shows the structure bearing the address 189. The property served as a showroom and wholesale department for Tally's religious supply company until its closure in 2005.
In June 2023, renovation proposals submitted to the Providence Historic District Commission outlined plans for vertical expansion, including a new second floor with skylights and a redesigned ground-level entrance. The project also called for converting parking space into an outdoor patio area. As the existing structure was classified as non-contributing within the Broadway-Armory Historic District and the proposed design maintained compatibility with the district's character, the commission quickly granted approval.
In 2025, Gather RI will open its doors, transforming the space into feminist cultural center featuring a Portrait Gallery, Biographical Library, and spaces for members to gather, converse, and build community.
Bibliography
Art in Ruins. "189 Broadway." Accessed June 23, 2025. https://artinruins.com/property/189-broadway/. Providence Historic District Commission. Meeting Minutes. June 2023.
Polk's Providence City Directory. 1968 edition.