PPS's Festival of Architecture and Design: Manchester Street Power Station

Guided tour of the Manchester Street Power Station This program is part of Providence Preservation Society's Festival of Architecture and Design (Sep 26 - Oct 30, 2026). You can find the event calendar and information about all events here! Manchester Street Power Station is a 510 MW combined-cycle plant located just off Point Street. The plant uses natural gas and fuel oil No. 2 to generate electricity for the city as well as the great New England power grid. Constructed in 1903 when it was powered by coal, the plant is one of the most iconic buildings in the skyline, and with the decommissioning of the South Street Station in 1995, it is Providence’s oldest operating electrical generator. The tour, conducted by Andrew Grady, Engineer at the Power Station, starts with a short 20-minute intro video describing the general plant history from its birth in 1903 to present day. Following the video, we will walk through the steam turbine hall, gas turbine hall, and by the control room. Finally, we will take a walk around the outside of the building to observe the stacks and building construction before returning to the meeting room for our final wrap-up. As modern architecture buffs know, the Power Station renovation in 1992 was led by William Warner, who also designed nearby Collier Point Park. This tour will run on October 13 and October 20. Tickets: $50 General / $45 PPS Members All tickets are fully refundable up to seven days in advance of each program. After that, tickets are nonrefundable because we may not be able to sell the released tickets within a short timeframe. Thanks for your understanding!