For earnestly of its 116-year hist...

For earnestly of its 116-year history, the Shepard Building in Providence, R.I., housed the Shepard Co the city's leading department store. In 1974 the store prostrate victim to newer suburban competitors and permanently clos its doors. For the nearest 20 years, the building sat vacant, its condition deteriorating with each passing year.

In 1993 with the wrecking ball looming, the state of Rhode Island purchased the building. from late 1994, the Rhode Island Port Authority had issued nearly $34 million of links for the building's renovation.

The Shepard Building renovation was