Providence Place Mall Addresses Security, 'Obsolete' Parking Lot

Before shopping malls, there were downtown and neighborhood business districts; but as Americans moved to the suburbs, malls with roofs protected shoppers from the elements and provided more plentiful and convenient parking options.

Perfect. Well, that is until the advent of the internet.

Online shopping has been devastating for traditional "brick and mortar" retailers. Downtowns have hollowed out, and like many of the the once-popular retail stores that populated them, suburban malls and shopping centers have closed.

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The North Dartmouth Mall has been able to weather the storm, but others like Taunton's Silver City Galleria, Fall River's Harbour Mall, the Swansea Mall and Kingston's Independence Mall were not as fortunate.

Providence Place in Providence, Rhode Island, is struggling. The mall was ordered into state receivership by the courts. Court-appointed attorneys John Dorsey and Mark Russo will attempt to stabilize things to make the mall more attractive to potential buyers.

Dorsey and Russo replaced the previous mall management company Brookfield Properties, which reportedly defaulted on a $259 million debt.

Courtesy ABC6

WPRI reported one of the first things Dorsey and Russo did was increase security at the mall.

"Dorsey said they have also hired additional security guards at the mall, saying Brookfield had cut the budget by 40% since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the health emergency and then budgetary constraints," WPRI reported.

Dorsey told Channel 12 that security is back at pre-pandemic levels.

ABC 6 reported Dorsey and Russo "are actively pursuing opportunities to bring in exciting new tenants" to improve the mall's appeal to potential buyers.

Both stations say the attorneys will focus on cleaning and maintenance projects that were put off due to the pandemic and budgetary issues.

WPRI said Dorsey and Russo are also looking for a parking contractor to replace "existing equipment in the parking garage" that has become broken or "obsolete."

Providence Place could be on the market by the middle of 2025.

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Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz