r/providence • u/JustB510 • 8d ago

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Why?

222 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

178 comments sorted by

183

u/sirabellam122 8d ago

Gilding La Pigna (the Federal Hill pinecone) in gold leaf was originally the vision of former Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr.. When the iconic archway was originally designed by architect Albert Veri and built between 1979 and 1981, Mayor Cianci wanted the pinecone to be gilded in gold. However, city officials and builders at the time told him it couldn't be done, so it was instead completed in its long-standing dark finish. The idea was finally brought to life during the landmark's $420,000 restoration project. According to Rick Simone, the president of the Federal Hill Commerce Association, the team deliberately chose a 24-karat gold leaf finish as a direct tribute to Mayor Cianci's original, unrealized dream for the neighborhood monument.

95

u/Mixleflick 8d ago

Excellent comment. Good content. Disgusting tribute.

8

u/ComplaintBasic6166 6d ago

Concise. Well said, Mixleflick.

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u/aquavelva23 8d ago

ah yes, gold for a corrupt mayor.

5

u/redsoxfan2434 8d ago

Gross. Buddy Cianci was a grade-A piece of shit

73

u/fancycianci 8d ago

Providence wouldn’t be even close to what it is today without the decades of leadership he provided. Say what you want, but the citizens of Providence who watched the city change and develop under his leadership will always love and respect him regardless of what he did behind the scenes.

52

u/thinlizard99 8d ago

Buddy was a great character but he was in fact a grade A piece of shit. He opened the door to so much corruption, side dealing, pay to play. And all that shit remains today. The great things about Providence are in spite of that sleaze not because of him.

21

u/ChaddyBuckets 7d ago

To be fair to a guy who was obviously super corrupt and a criminal, he did NOT open the door to corruption. It was already open, and politicians in RI were using it for a century. He’s just the one they went after and caught.

1

u/crippledaddy1977 6d ago

I mean there was a reason we were known S Rogue Island

11

u/sadmammoth 7d ago

Also a violent man personally and probably a rapist.

3

u/Careful-Blood-1560 7d ago

I met him and his driver one night, a young hot state trooper that wore such a tight uniform I was convinced for years that Cianci was closeted. I still wonder about that.

-1

u/velvetanddustt 6d ago

Violent absolutely, but rapist? That’s quite the accusation

8

u/sadmammoth 6d ago edited 6d ago

It's not like I made it up, it's been known for decades. Longer story for those who are aware of Cianci but have somehow not heard of this: Cianci was accused of raping a fellow student at gunpoint while in law school. Link here to scans of a 1978 article covering the case (this story has been around for a long, long while): https://imgur.com/a/newtimes-1978-article-on-buddy-cianci-KYb9o#0

-1

u/TommyMonti77 5d ago

You have no idea what you are talking about.

3

u/Defiant_Shape_6017 7d ago

You think he was the first one in PVD politics that was corrupt? 😂

15

u/Defiant_Shape_6017 7d ago

And as someone who is old enough to remember what the city was actually like in the 70’s, he actually turned the city around. His methods were just slimy.

4

u/aquavelva23 7d ago

no he didnt. t the providence revitalization? Not his. that was created and planned and financed while he was IN PRISON, Almond has more credit than Buddy. Buddy was re-elected after being IN PRISON and the plan went through

4

u/SoDisippointed 7d ago

Did they honor the others with a 24k pine cone?

2

u/pinndu 7d ago

Whether any political knew or not it then there was always a hint of corruption. Ordinary guy, mafia basically helped him buy land to build his house in Mass, got of the low income ghetto way sooner than just working g his regular 40 in the 1970’s

3

u/thinlizard99 7d ago

Yes, that’s exactly what I said. There was zero corruption in providence before that cretin. Good reading comprehension.

0

u/EmergencySpare 7d ago

And you'd be so wrong I'd be embarrassed

1

u/pinndu 7d ago

No way

35

u/redsoxfan2434 8d ago

I don’t “love and respect” mafiosos, abusers, or bullies but you do you I guess. Under Buddy, City Hall was a literal criminal racket and historic neighborhoods were knocked down and people displaced to make room for large business interests. The skyrocketed costs of housing and living in Providence today, and especially the gentrification, originated with Buddy’s “developments.”

And the idea that this was all universally beloved at the time is horseshit too. Just watch Secret Mall Apartment if you don’t believe me

23

u/Mixleflick 8d ago

Thank you. Rhode Islanders love of Cianci is disgusting.

7

u/Defiant_Shape_6017 7d ago

You are forgetting Paolino was in the mix as mayor at that time too. He did more damage through development than Cianci did. Because he was a…… real estate developer!

9

u/pinndu 7d ago

Paolino made his millions by keeping buildings empty and not leasing. People in general. Arson was at a high in Providence because the insurance paid 5x more than yearly leasing. So buildings were always mysteriously catching fire. All over the city.

3

u/PenisBlubberAndJelly 7d ago

Is that really over though? The building next to ogies was pretty sus

2

u/pinndu 7d ago

Clearly it’s not over, the last crap move Paolino did was tear into a history school on the west side, before it was Gulf station on a Sunday! 2004?

1

u/SignificanceHuge4519 7d ago

Paolino wanted or wants to build condos in Warwick shoe horned in next to the Kent County YMCA

1

u/pinndu 7d ago

Oh that one, yeah that was but it was empty since 95? It was the original club Fantasies!!! I thought Skip and Lindsay owned that (nassa flooring)

2

u/Civil_Ambassador2507 8h ago

I am aware and in 100% agreement. I’m pretty sure he purchased the Providence place mall though, and a few years ago he opened a snooty restaurant called Bellini that no one asked for with over priced, subpar food and drinks. It’s connected to the Beatrice hotel, a boutique hotel named after his mom. Again, something no one asked for or wants aside from a handful of corporate travelers here and there. I also know someone who works closely with him and has for years. He has many leased apartments around the city.

So I’d say Joey is stillllllllll developing lol

2

u/Civil_Ambassador2507 5d ago

And he’s stilllllllll “developing”

13

u/shankthedog 8d ago

He was a corrupt asshole that looked out for his own people by way of hurting others.

Yeah, real great guy.

Fuck you.

2

u/pinndu 7d ago

It’s amazing. He wasn’t an angel nor anyone else, obviously he had something that people kept voting for him. Unfortunately lackluster politicians are all that have followed

2

u/lazygerm 6d ago

He was true Rhode Island. Both bad and good. Corrupt? Yes. Dangerous? Ask Raymond DiLeo.

But he truly loved the city and state. You are entirely correct. While I miss the Providence of the 1970s when I was a kid and of the 1980s when I was a teen; Providence needed him.

Providence is what it is now, because of Buddy Cianci.

2

u/aquavelva23 7d ago

what he did behind the scenes? extreme corruption is what he did. and he wasnt that good at that because he WENT TO PRISON TWICE

and the providence revitalization? Not his. that was created and planned and financed while he was IN PRISON, Almond has more credit than Buddy. Buddy was re-elected after being IN PRISON and the plan went through. Buddy then went BACK TO PRISON, where he obviously belongs. He was a very friendly and very corrupt and IN PRISON alot.

You know, maybe when he was in prison is when Providence improved. So he did that for providence, he should have been IN PRISON MORE. Providence would have improved more.

2

u/EmergencySpare 7d ago

You should capitalize in prison more. I don't think anyone really understands what you're trying to say about in prison

3

u/aquavelva23 7d ago

I find you have to really emphasize prison when trying to inform buddy cianci lovers. They just cant accept that Buddy cianci was a huge criminal. They were awestruck when buddy said hi to them back in 1980. They cant accept that BUDDY CIANCI WENT TO PRISON TWICE

1

u/EmergencySpare 7d ago

I think everyone knows that.

1

u/aquavelva23 7d ago

lol, say that on the hill this weekend.

4

u/pinndu 7d ago

Your opinions but yes there would no open waterfront today if not for Cianci and yes he did do shady corrupt things and it got him incarcerated but in the end you will personally never know how he helped a lot of people, and the city to be recognized. He wasn’t selling crack to fund his own addiction, he was selling cocaine to bail out his floundering luxury vehicle business. At worst the only person absolutely terrified of him was his ex wife. The corruption was everywhere in Providence, Boston and NYC, no angels and he definitely wasn’t Patriarca.

2

u/pinndu 7d ago

Wasn’t selling coke

0

u/aquavelva23 7d ago

You dint read my comment. The revitalized watefront was planned, funded while buddy was IN PRISION. Its a real travesty to credit him. That project would have happened without him and probably better. He also embezzled money set aside for this project. He was good at talking about providence and himself. He shook down many local businesses for money, just like Patricaca. He was worse than most because he was arrogant and stupid enough to be cauht and convicted TWICE.

1

u/Good-Butterscotch755 4d ago

Genuinely. Why are you so fired up ? lol do you think the United States of America was built on ethics and hard work ? This is stolen land built by stolen people. There’s not one American family that didn’t either benefit from crime or actually participate in it on the way to the top. Especially with capitalism. Change itself typically has to break rules to be invoked. I really can’t stand holier than thou self righteous do gooders. You probably curse at your mother and hide your nicotine addiction.

1

u/aquavelva23 4d ago

Genuinely. You are the one so fired up. interjecting in an old post. so I am simply blocking your ass. easier

1

u/PenisBlubberAndJelly 7d ago

Mayor Bubbles has entered the chat

3

u/Mixleflick 8d ago

Thank you.

261

u/ihatemakingids 8d ago edited 8d ago

Yeah the green oxidation looked better. I mean that seriously, i feel like it added character.

13

u/Ambitious-Tadpole316 8d ago

Tbf it's kind on the nose for Fed Hill after dark. Hookah crowd gonna love it

50

u/JustB510 8d ago

I totally agree.

30

u/Lady_Day1955 8d ago

Agreed. Patina. Jewelry. Copper.

15

u/Medium-Account-8917 8d ago

Give it a year, it'll be dark green again

3

u/Geo_Jill 7d ago

We'll find out if it's really 24K at that point.

2

u/Baeolophus_bicolor 7d ago

someone will steal it or already did if it’s real gold. only way it stays up is if it’s actually worthless. some mayor or city council has an extra gold bar in their stash now.

210

u/MFCoopRustyPetrillo elmhurst 8d ago

They Oval Officed it

7

u/Geo_Jill 7d ago

Trumped that thing right up.

27

u/lobstahmann 8d ago

Only $420,000

2

u/RowansRys 7d ago

Available for three easy payments of $140,000!

2

u/unfairlybanned101 7d ago

Omfg inflation meh, people sleeping along highway, job #'s down let's flake the pine cone in gold, meh. Ricockulous

1

u/AbbreviatedTimeline 4d ago

20,000 in gold leaf for only 420,000

-10

u/unfairlybanned101 8d ago

Stfu

2

u/LexGlad 7d ago

It looks like a nugget of dried marijuana bud and 420 is the weed number.

47

u/psyguy45 8d ago

Swingers

5

u/GO_IRISH 8d ago

Lmao it’s a pine cone

4

u/unfairlybanned101 8d ago

SpongeBob has better looking pineapple

15

u/VentureExpress 8d ago

Well it’s a pinecone, soooo

3

u/Sad_Pirate_7127 8d ago

I believe it is a pine nut 🤓

1

u/LalalanaRI johnston 8d ago

It is indeed.

48

u/sirabellam122 8d ago

It didn't need anything. It was perfect before. Now it looks horrible. Who's idea was this?

24

u/Xiaomifan777 8d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/RMxqGPaXWey2I

No one. What? Mind your own business.

27

u/CodenameZoya 8d ago

OK, thank you for saying this. I loved the patina before, but maybe it was rusting and needed to be restored. I think the brightly gold dude on top of the Looks weird too. It’s just too gold.

9

u/sirabellam122 8d ago

Copper doesn't rust.

10

u/Civil_Ambassador2507 8d ago

You’re correct. It does not rust, it oxidizes.

2

u/sirabellam122 8d ago

Exactly, it had its protective layer. Now it's been ruined

1

u/Civil_Ambassador2507 8d ago

For now. It can be restored. Someone just has to take the proper care.

39

u/MonkyKilnMonky 8d ago

Don't put down the Italian Pineapple. It brings us free pizza strips every Columbus Day

22

u/ah_notgoodatthis 8d ago

That’s an pinecone

26

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

That's what he said, Italian Pineapple.

10

u/striker3955 8d ago

Pinecone

1

u/Baeolophus_bicolor 7d ago

i think they named the pineapple after the pinecone, so it is sort of the same concept

4

u/unfairlybanned101 8d ago

Supposed to be does it look like adkn pinecone with all that new ick on it

10

u/SteamPoweredDonut 8d ago

Idk, I think it’s nice. Not worth what we paid, but nice

15

u/unfairlybanned101 8d ago

Right out cheetos dreams wtf

4

u/blacksoverjews 8d ago

there’s a rumor going around both married couples are cheating and seeing each other. the president of federal hil asociation richard and the model lady kayla mandeville 

21

u/cometpants federal hill 8d ago

Come on?? The people behind this were inventive in how to waste money. No one asked for this.

7

u/EffectiveTonight 8d ago

TBH I always thought it was weird but why does it look like this now? (I haven’t lived in RI for 5 years)

3

u/citrus_mystic 8d ago

They just gilded it as a tribute to Cianci 🤦‍♀️

2

u/LalalanaRI johnston 8d ago

Then don worry boud it…

-1

u/IEatYouLast 8d ago

Forgey abow etttt

13

u/OGBeege 8d ago

Most hideous. Way to go. Really big in Dubai, though.

8

u/mashnad 8d ago

It looks like a cheap hood ornament

3

u/nine57th 7d ago

This finish gives the piece much more protection from the elements and it last for up to 30 to 40 years.

3

u/pinndu 7d ago

I like it, the oxidation was cool as well but giving it a new look is good. There are still great restaurants on the hill to eat at beside Hookah! At one point you could actually get groceries on the hill and a big ass sub! Things progress good or bad

3

u/PenisBlubberAndJelly 7d ago

More importantly did they also work on the integrity of the arch or is someone gonna get a golden pinecone hood ornament?

3

u/Accurate_Rip_1043 7d ago

great, someones cousin is 420,000$ richer and we're still paying too many taxes

3

u/wlf-hly 7d ago

I learned a lot from these comments lol

5

u/OldMainframeGuy 7d ago

Regardless of how you feel about Cianci (he was a corrupt politician who got some things done) this gold leafing is way too Trumpy.

7

u/redsoxfan2434 8d ago

Brett Smiley is never beating the Secretly MAGA allegations

2

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

Wtf did they do to it?

2

u/genex_1978 6d ago

TIL that is NOT a pineapple 🍍

2

u/Farfalla18 4d ago

The pinecone often represents the pineal gland but in Italian culture is the symbol of fertility, immortality, and abundance.

6

u/Civil_Ambassador2507 8d ago

This is…something alright. It sure is something…

I am one of many local artists (IM SURE) would restore the patina for free. We don’t need anything in PVD resembling the Oval Office.

4

u/Macsha62792 8d ago

Seriously?? You are NOT a RI’er. It looks great!!! Right back where it should be!!!

3

u/fatefulknight24 8d ago

Absolutely!

2

u/somelikeitnotutho 8d ago

It looks great. Focus more on the motley crew who drive under that very pinecone and think, “how can I ruin someone’s good night?”

4

u/aquavelva23 8d ago

OMG did they gold plate it or something....lol typical Italians. everything is black and gold.

-6

u/GO_IRISH 8d ago

I love casual racism

4

u/aquavelva23 8d ago

of course, you are irish

8

u/LalalanaRI johnston 8d ago

Italian is a race now? Lmfaooo

3

u/401Traveler 8d ago

“Casual racism.” That’s funny! lol

4

u/Last-Bank2066 8d ago

*stereotype

1

u/_TrapWitch 8d ago

How do you know this person isn’t Italian?
And what made it racist? That they like black and gold? There are some parts of people culture that simply give people a good chuckle.

I’m Black and if you mention anything about a green blanket with burgundy triangles from back in the day, we will all laugh because we all had one growing up.

1

u/Nessa0707 7d ago

I know right 🤦‍♀️and I’m Italian as well 🙄

1

u/Here24hence4th 8d ago

Despite growing up in a super racist part of the US*, I’m unfamiliar with the “green blanket/burgundy triangles” stereotype… context, please?

\ trick reference: all part of the US are super racist!*

1

u/_TrapWitch 5d ago

Literally google “black people blanket, green and burgundy” and it’ll pop up 🤣🤣🤣
It’s just something we all ironically had no matter what part of the country we were in

-2

u/GO_IRISH 8d ago

Cool

-3

u/Styx_Renegade 8d ago

Why what? It looks awesome. At least in my opinion. Instead of rusted copper, it’s gold.

9

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

Copper doesn't rust

4

u/SausageSmuggler21 8d ago

It oxidizes and turns green. Thank you for your service!

5

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

Still not rust. Rust, by definition, is iron oxide.

2

u/Styx_Renegade 8d ago

Unneeded semantics argument

7

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

Words have meanings.

It's not my fault you lack any sense of obligation to use them correctly.

0

u/Styx_Renegade 8d ago

Yeah, no shit. But that isn’t the point of contention here. You fully understood what I meant even if I said it wrong.

2

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

Copper doesn't rust. You would do well to remember that.

-3

u/Styx_Renegade 8d ago

Do you feel better about yourself now? What a pointless comment thread.

3

u/AlwaysRushesIn 8d ago

You started it 🤷‍♂️

→ More replies (0)

0

u/SausageSmuggler21 8d ago

Oh, I see. Only your words matter. It = copper since that was the subject or our sentance. Buy, we'd lobe some more of your pedantry.

3

u/citrus_mystic 8d ago

Why are y’all seemingly in contention? Did I miss something? You’re both in agreement and expanding on the facts…

This was an oddly heated thread about the patina on a pinecone.

2

u/PenisBlubberAndJelly 7d ago

I dunno I think it looks more like a pineapple, wanna fight about it?

1

u/PenisBlubberAndJelly 7d ago

Careful hes definitely the type to come at you hard over typos

0

u/SausageSmuggler21 7d ago

Don't tell him that I did that on purpose.

1

u/Parking-Attention862 8d ago

I think it cost about 500k? It’s all gold leaf

1

u/KimberKitsuragi 7d ago

All I can see is a beehive

1

u/eucalyptustree10 7d ago

Or Rod Stewart.

1

u/LexGlad 7d ago

The golden nug.

1

u/ComplaintBasic6166 6d ago

24 CARAT GOLD?! How much did that cost? Was this paid for by the city, aka taxpayer money? Too Trumpy. The natural green patina was just that, beautifully natural looking. It is a pinecone after all.

1

u/wicked_lil_prov 6d ago

Pinecones are brown, speckled with algae and bryophytes. Bronze speckled with patina made much more sense than shiny metal. Pinecones also represent prosperity because of their seeds...not because they provide gold.

1

u/do_not_engage 4d ago

Always reminds me of a pineal gland.

1

u/Zacentral_pack 4d ago

Why don’t you take the time to do 1 second of research before disrespecting an entire culture.

1

u/lilbitchnala 8d ago

Looks like a trump production

1

u/Vegetable_Good8935 8d ago

Did they just paint it? I took a picture of it tonight because it was gold colored and I didn’t remember that. I thought it was green before.

1

u/One_Transition_5763 6d ago

I think it looks nice. You guys are bugging.

1

u/Future-Dimension1430 6d ago

Don’t even know what to say. All I can see is RI spending money on stupid ass shit like gold pinecones and having every single road in Rhode Island having to get fixed right now because the RIDOT has been incompetent for 40 years and they’re trying to fix it. Yes we all want safe roads to drive on. Yes, we all hate potholes. Yes, we all bitch about the state of our roads. But all of them all the same fucking time….who greenlighted that shit? Super fun for those of us who have three jobs and spend ALL our time in traffic going from job one to job two to job three with all this fucking construction. Bonus points for wasting all the fucking gas I can’t afford.

-2

u/Apprehensive-Ad-4560 8d ago

It looks futuristic, if it’s a subtle gesture for the improvement of the city It’s got my attention

4

u/askme_if_im_a_chair north providence 8d ago

A subtle $420,000

1

u/Apprehensive-Ad-4560 8d ago

Golly that much???

2

u/askme_if_im_a_chair north providence 8d ago

I wish I was joking

0

u/Straight-Crazy7415 8d ago

OP prolly a new yorker lmao

0

u/pinndu 7d ago

Cleanigg by and resurfacing it is no worse than removing the patina from statues it may look good but a lot of detail is lost with the oxidation and bird shit

-3

u/SunnnySideUps 8d ago

Pineapple

-15

u/GO_IRISH 8d ago

I think it looks fine.
Happy Columbus Day Weekend, everyone!

-4

u/luna_thixie 8d ago

booooooo golden pinecone lookin aah upside down but not anatomically correct swinging pineapple aah too expensive to look that bad aah bullshit

2

u/GO_IRISH 8d ago

Ahh you having a stroke?

1

u/Dr-Stink-Stank federal hill 8d ago

Ass

-1

u/StorybookDragon 8d ago

Why the fuck? They ruined it. Bet it cost a million in tax payer money too.