Ward Baking Company

Built In

1908

History

Ward Baking Company 461 Eddy Street, Providence RI 1908 It is a large, one- and two-story, brick, flat-roof complex comprised of the original block and numerous ells constructed between 1908 and 1956. The building is bound by Eddy Street, Globe Street, and Manchester Street (now known as Marengo Street). The building’s primary entrance is set within the chamfered corner of a two-story block which stands at the intersection of Eddy and Marengo streets. The entrance is flanked by single-light sidelights and set below several bands of brick corbelling. This two-story block and the one-story block attached to its west elevation were both part of the original building and appear on the 1908 Sanborn map. The two-story, blonde brick block features projecting brick piers between each bay topped with stone trim. Fenestration is comprised of rectangular openings with a combination of glass block and boarded up windows. A one-story, rectangular, flat-roof ell to the west along Marengo Street was constructed in 1917 and appears on the 1918 map. This block features rectangular, regularly-spaced window openings and a row of four vehicular entrances along its north (Marengo Street) elevation. This block is identified as a loading shed on Sanborn maps. Attached to its west end is another one-story block constructed in 1946. A one-story, square, flat-roof structure was added to the south end of the complex (Globe Street) between 1918 and 1926. This block is identified as Ward’s Bakery Garage. According to a combination of both maps and business directories the Ward Baking Company building was constructed between 1901 and 1908. Between 1908 and 1918 small additions used for storage were made to the rear of the building. By 1926, an addition was made to the Eddy Street side of the building, adding an additional 6,432 square feet. Between 1937 and 1956 a large section for storage was added to the rear of the building. Source - AIR Redevelop :: Ward Baking Company - ArtinRuins Continental Baking Company was founded as the Ward Baking Company in New York City in 1849. In 1921 William Ward, grandson of the company's founder, formed United Bakeries, which was renamed Continental Baking in 1925. In 1924 Continental Baking acquired the Wagner Baking Company of Detroit, and in 1925 Continental Baking bought Taggart Baking, the maker of Wonder bread, and was at that time the largest bakery in the United States. Source - Lehman Brothers Collection, Twentieth-Century Business Archives