What Is the Fleur-de-Lys Studios?
This 1885 art studio was built as headquarters for the Providence Art Club and is a monument to the American Arts and Crafts Movement!
What Makes It Historical?
As industrializaton spread along the Blackstone River in Providence and beyond, artists took up arms against mass production to focus on creating by hand. This was known as the Arts and Crafts Movement, and the hands behind the Flur-de-Lys Studios belonged to painter, Sydney Burleigh, and architect, Edmund R. Willson! Both were fond of the architecture styles in Chester, England, and they based their studio space on the half-timbered buildings found there. Mr. Burleigh’s Art Workers Guild led construction, and it opened on New Year’s Eve, 1886 with a grand ball!!
Right off the bat, this building was unlike any seen in Providence, embellished with textured stucco, depicting the personifications of Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture. Inside, art and scandal flourished, including the affair between Mr. Burleigh and painter, Angela O’Leary, whose ghost is still said to walk its floors! H.P. Lovecraft made the Fleur-de-Lys building the home of Henry Anthony Wilcox in The Call of Cthulhu. Since 1939, it’s been deeded in full to the Providence Art Club!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Providence Art Club!
- Donate to the Providence Art Club!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
7 Thomas St
Providence, RI 02903
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
View the exterior any time you like, but there are no regular tour hours at this historic site!