East Natick is a small village in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

. It is centered on the intersection of Bald Hill Road and East Avenue. The village is separated from

Natick Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

proper by the railroad (now the Washington Secondary Trail), and the

Pawtuxet River The Pawtuxet River (), also known as the Pawtuxet River Main Stem and the Lower Pawtuxet, is a river in the United States, U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataT ...

. The other nearby village is

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

, which is northerly across the Pawtuxet.

History

East Natick was home to many industrial workers, who worked in the mills of nearby Natick. Examples of traditional Rhode Island mill housing can be seen in the northerly part in the village. One of the most interesting buildings here is that of the Warwick Ice Cream Company, founded 1930. Built in 1940, it is one of only a few examples of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

architecture in Warwick. It was designed by Providence architect Francis Chiaverini. There is a colonial era farmhouse at 697 East Avenue. East Natick is home to two prominent Rhode Island institutions: the

Community College of Rhode Island The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, wit ...

and the

Rhode Island Mall Midland Commons (formerly Midland Mall from 1965–1985 and Rhode Island Mall from 1985–2011) is an outdoor power center in Warwick, Rhode Island. It previously existed as a two-story, enclosed shopping mall. The property opened as the ...

. CCRI is located on the grounds of the former Knight Estate, owned by first the Spragues and then the Knights, major manufacturing families. The main house, still standing at 486 East Avenue, is believed to have been built by William Sprague between 1827 and his death in 1836. The estate was later donated to the state, and the Rhode Island Junior College, now CCRI, opened there in 1972. The Rhode Island Mall, originally the Midland Mall, opened in 1967. Much of the building is currently vacant.

References

{{coord, 41, 43, 07, N, 71, 28, 55, W, type:city_region:US-RI_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Geography of Rhode Island