As most RI explorers probably know by now, Pontiac Mills in Warwick is mostly done with its total overhaul and is now leasing apartments. I recently went out there to how the renovations turned out, and took the opportunity to shoot some "After" shots as close as I could get to the original positioning of older photos I shot four years ago.

Most of the before photos are from May 28th 2016, and the After photos are from May 24th, 2020. I've attempted to line them up as best as possible; opening a pair in new tabs and switching between them quickly allows for a decent comparison.


01A: So Many Buildings


01B: So Many Buildings II
The wrecked set of buildings at the right are gone, as are some other small buildings around the area.


02A: More Basement


02B: More Basement II
The entire upper floor/ceiling of this area is gone, as are the stairs and the wall of doors.


03A: Rancid


03B: Rancid II
Of all the things that could still be here, the shit barrel is what remains.


04A: Greenroom


04B: Greenroom II
Unfortunately the cool green-tinted bathroom did not survive.


05A: The Bell


05B: The Bell II
The bell from the front tower was brought down into one of the outdoor common areas.


06A: Catastrophic Structural Failure


06B: Catastrophic Structural Failure II
It took us a while to figure out where I'd been standing for the original photo, and it's hard to tell these are the same spot. The entire water raceway beneath the building is full of gravel now and this destroyed picture framing studio is totally gone. The greenish brick wall near the center of the original photo matches up with the wall in the new one.


07A: Building 4


07B: Building 4 II
This empty little building by the river is now a standalone apartment unit. Judging from the shadows, I shot this photo at almost the same time of day as back then too.


08A: Mesen


08B: Mesen II
This shot was difficult to gauge because the overgrown wall on the right side was demolished and it took us both a minute to realize the difference.


09A: Alley


09B: Alley II


10A: Arch


10B: Arch II


11A: Amalgamation


11B: Amalgamation II
This photo was originally shot from on the balcony visible in the top left corner, however that building was now an apartment and we felt the tenant probably wouldn't appreciate us climbing all over it.


12A: Front Office


12B: Front Office II
Unfortunately the layout of this room had changed so the corner I shot the original photo in is now behind the wall at the right, making a before an after functionally impossible.


12C: Front Office IIB
That didn't stop me from doing it anyway.


13A: Front Tower


13B: Front Tower II
Might as well end this set with the recreation of the first photo I ever shot of this place, "Front Tower". Yes, the chimney got shorter.

This is so cool

I love before and after shots. You did a really good job on these! It looks like they did a nice job on the restoration too.

Very impressive work on both the restoration and your ability to get the same shots from almost the same perspective!

Great stuff

Posted by jakson106 This is so cool

Posted by corvidcache I love before and after shots. You did a really good job on these! It looks like they did a nice job on the restoration too.

Posted by Freaktography Very impressive work on both the restoration and your ability to get the same shots from almost the same perspective! Great stuff

Thanks!

They did a great job with the restoration, rather than tear down and rebuild like P&A they salvaged as much of the property as they could within reason, even keeping the ruined walls in #8A/B so as to retain the same skyline of sorts from the road. The doors, windows, and even the signs are built and painted to match the look and style of the originals. There's a huge Fruit of the Loom mural/logo in the indoor common area we were in, a great nod to the brand that got its start in the mill.

It's definitely worth checking out in person. It's not often that abandoned places get this lucky with their treatment.

Beautiful, thanks for posting up.

awesome shots. very cool to see how it changed like that

I assume there was a clock in the tower. I wonder what became of it.

That's neat!

Wow, great restoration/re-purposing of the space.

Heyy nice pics!

Also where i helped shoot our film for the 48 hr film project a few yrs ago, fun place.

Very cool post with the before and afters. Awesome they repurposed it!