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The Esek Hopkins House is an historic home on 97 Admiral Street (just off
Dating to 1754, the house was the home of 
"Old Providence: A Collection of Facts and Traditions relating to Various Buildings and Sites of Historic Interest in Providence" (Merchants National Bank of Providence, 1918)
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Houses completed in 1754 Houses in Providence, Rhode Island 1754 establishments in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island {{ProvidenceRI-struct-stub
Route 146
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) on the north side of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
.
Description
The oldest portion of the house is a 2½-story gable-roof block, three bays wide, with an entry in the rightmost bay. To the right of this section is a 1½-story gambrel-roofed addition, dating to the early 19th century. A single-story gable-roof ell extends from the rear of the main block.History
Dating to 1754, the house was the home of Esek Hopkins
Esek Hopkins (April 26, 1718February 26, 1802) was an American naval officer, merchant captain, and privateer. Achieving the rank of Commodore, Hopkins was the only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary Wa ...
, the first commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adam ...
during the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...
. After Hopkins died, his daughters inherited the property, and it remained in the family for the next century. Descendant Elizabeth West Gould died in 1907, and the property was donated to the City of Providence in accordance with her wishes in 1908, with the stipulation that it be converted into a museum. Accounts of the time recounted that the property was being restored to its original condition.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
in 1973. Over the years, various plans were put forward over the years to convert the house into a museum. They all failed for lack of resources. Most recently, in 2011 the Providence Parks department put forward a plan to convert the house into a part-time museum; this has not yet come to pass.
The building has suffered from inadequate maintenance by the city's parks department, and was placed on the Providence Preservation Society's "Most Endangered Properties" list in 1995, 2011 and again in 2015.
In 2021, the Esek Hopkins house partnered with a local artist collective and a local dance company to serve as an outdoor space for dance performance and classes. In September 2021, the house was the site of an original dance opera titled "The Historical Fantasy of Esek Hopkins." The performance deals with the legacy of Hopkins and slavery and adds fantastical elements.
See also
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island
__NOTOC__
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode I ...
References and external links
"Old Providence: A Collection of Facts and Traditions relating to Various Buildings and Sites of Historic Interest in Providence" (Merchants National Bank of Providence, 1918)
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Houses completed in 1754 Houses in Providence, Rhode Island 1754 establishments in Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island {{ProvidenceRI-struct-stub