The Dreyfus

The Dreyfus Hotel, located at the corner of Washington and Mathewson streets in downtown Providence (map), was purchased by AS220 from Johnson & Wales University in April of 2005. Originally built in 1890, it was most recently used as a dormitory from 1975-2000 by JWU. The Dreyfus has a long history as a hotel, lounge, and restaurant that served the bustling downtown theater district and weary travelers searching for lodging from the nearby train station.

AS220's adaptive re-use of the Dreyfus was undertaken as a historic preservation project that brought new life to the exquisite first floor details and the ornate bar and restaurant; as well as the lower level pub. The magnificent terracotta that adorns the exterior along with the stunning stained glass windows on the first floor were carefully restored. By May 2007, the building was fully restored and fully occupied.

The Dreyfus building currently houses AS220's Main Office, the Development Office, the Project Space art gallery, fourteen affordable live and four work rental studios for low-income artists, as well as a classy restaurateur, our tenant, Local 121.

Click here to view a flickr set of old Dreyfus artifacts!

 

Residential Studios

The third and fourth floors of the Dreyfus building contain a total of 14 residential studios, ranging in size from 356 to 516 sf. Each unit has its own bathroom, containing a tub/shower and a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator and gas stove. Floors are hardwood and each studio has over-sized windows. Residential laundry facilities are located on the 4th floor.

Residential entry is on Mathewson Street. The lobby contains a small passenger elevator and an alcove for mailboxes.

All residential rents include heat, hot water and air conditioning. Each residence has been pre-wired for phone, cable and high speed internet. Tenant are responsible for their own electricity bill.

Rents for 11 of the 14 studios are affordable and a resident's income must not exceed a specified maximum. The remaining 3 studios are unrestricted, both in rent and income. For more details and to apply for a studio at the Dreyfus, please see the Live/Work Page.

Click on the Unit number to view floor plans of the Residential Studios at the Dreyfus! (The third and fourth floors have identical floor plans but the fourth floor units feature oversized arched windows.)

Units 301 & 401 | Units 302 & 402 | Units 303 & 403

Units 304 & 404 | Units 305 & 405 | Units 306 & 306 | Units 307 & 407

 

Work Studios

Work Studios on the second floor of the Dreyfus range from 200 to 286 sf. There are hardwood floors throughout and there is one common bathroom. All utilities, including heat, air conditioning and electricity are included in the rent. The second floor is also home to AS220 administrative offices.
The AS220 Community Printshop occupied a studio on the second floor of the Dreyfus until December 2010 when the shop relocated to a split level space at the Mercantile Block and their former home was converted to a work studio. Check out the Printshop's page for more info!

Click here for a floorplan of the second floor work studios.

The Project Space

AS220 maintains four galleries, three of which are located within the Empire Street complex, and the fourth resides in a street level space at the Dreyfus. Also known as the Project Space, this gallery features artwork on a monthly rotating basis and displays work that is usually three-dimensional or requires specialized installation needs. If you are interested in booking a show in one of our galleries, contact Gallery Director Neal Walsh or visit the AS220 Galleries page!