The Hotel Manisses is planning to build an addition on the back of the building, reminiscent of what used to be there. The Historic District Commission approved the preliminary application for siting and massing on August 23.There are two applications from the Hotel Manisses to build an addition. The HDC received a letter from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, stating its unfavorable opinion of the first application to build an addition on the existing basement at the Hotel Manisses. At the July meeting, HDC Chair Bill Penn suggested denying the application outright, due to this negative opinion by the RIHPHC.
After receiving the letter from RIHPHC, the owners of the Hotel Manisses seem to have filed the second application with the HDC, one that stated simply “construct an addition.” Owner Blake Filippi told the commission he had no comment on the first application, but would speak to the second application.When asked, Filippi said they were not withdrawing the application for the addition onto the basement. Penn said the commission should defer action on that application in order to “give us the opportunity to write a formal rejection letter.”As to the second application, Filippi produced a
