Waterplace Park

When Providence moved its railroad tracks underground, the ugly and off-putting jumble of railroad bridges at the junction of the Moshassuck, Woonasquatucket, and Providence rivers became ripe for re-imagining. That process took 10 years and required the relocation of rivers, but the result—a peaceful stretch of water, river walks, plazas, and bridges—has become a focal point in the city's arts renaissance. Theater and musical performances take place both on the water's edge and, in the case of the annual Waterfire music festival, on torch-lit water beneath the walkways and bridges. The four-acre park has transformed a blighted and inaccessible area of downtown Providence into a thriving cultural, commercial, and residential community.