PROVIDENCE — They clang, they clash, they roar. Their clamorous peals can pierce a deep sleep or puncture a conversation.
The shrill ring of the bells of Grace Episcopal Church has shaken downtown Providence for generations, a clarion reminder of a historical landmark that is no less striking than the neo-Gothic structure’s towering brick steeple.
Comments
whyGwynn would you put a google there if it is so bad? Do they need. Better windows?
Why should Grace Church subsidize a bad business decision to build here? What about the free market?
The hotel had to know about the bells. They could soundproof their hotel.
Or maybe the bells are about something else.
So let me get this straight. The ring the bells in the middle of the night? Ridiculous.
The article says that "they ring from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m."
I had at least some sympathy for the hotel until I read that "to be fair, some guests who complain about noise mention not the bells but the jazz band that plays in the courtyard on Friday nights during warmer weather." Bit of hypocricy and bigotry going on here.
As someone who got married at Hotel Providence, outside on their second floor patio, I LOVED that the bells rang as I walked down the outside aisle to mark my arrival (5pm sharp)! It's part of the charm of staying at a hotel in the heart of a city...
Perhaps the bells are an inconvenient reminder that they should be doing more good rather than spending their money living it up in some over fluffed luxury hotel.
These seem more like "hell's bells than church bells. How about ton-ing them down a little?
Seems like this Tricia Carter woman needs to find something else to peddle her hotel's merits with, rather than negative comments about a church that was there long before she arrived in Providence. And samsboygordon ought to be a little less sympathetic to a gang of spoiled Gen Z hotel guests.
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It was not our intention to disparage Grace Church in any way. When David Filipov approached us about writing a story about contentious relationships between churches and hotels because of bell ringing, we told him we had a very positive story to tell. We spoke of our excellent relationship with the church; one that we value and have nurtured for over 8 years. I suppose when the rest of his story (about inns/ hotels experiencing conflicts with churches), fell through, he needed a hook to sell newspapers.
We told him that for every guest who does not appreciate the bells, there are many more who think they're charming. We've shared this space together for 152 years, originally as the Hotel Blackstone in 1882. We embraced the bells long ago and look forward to the next 152 years.
Tricia Carter
Marketing Manager, Hotel Providence