Digital Extra: The Journal's 175th Anniversary

07.21.2004

1892. A disaster recovery plan that was never used

In 1892, worried a catastrophic fire like the one that devoured Chicago could sweep through downtown Providence and destroy the presses in The Journal's building, the paper took out a steel-and-brick insurance policy: the Journal Annex.

"Some time ago it was decided to erect an independent newspaper plant in a section of the city where it would be practically free from danger of destruction by fire," the paper said on Jan. 11, 1892.

The two-story brick building, designed by noted New England mill architect Frank P. Sheldon, was located at Culver and Blackstone streets, just south of Rhode Island Hospital. It was 68 feet by 35 feet and held printing presses, Linotype typesetting machines and platemaking equipment. Steam boilers -- in an adjacent building to protect the Annex from a boiler explosion or fire -- powered a 25-horsepower engine that turned the presses and other equipment.

Journal files

In the 1890s, The Journal built a backup printing plant in South Providence in case something happened to its downtown building. The Annex no longer stands.

After a decade, The Journal found the building too expensive to maintain and cleared out its equipment.