By Paul Grimaldi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- U.S. Sen. Jack Reed spent about a half hour Friday morning with Evan Granoff, owner of the Arcade in Providence, on a tour of the historic building downtown.
Work crews are pushing to the finish of a $7-million renovation of the building, America's oldest indoor mall. The Arcade's interior spaces are being transformed into spaces for new restaurants and shops, as well as 70 micro-lofts.
"This far exceeds my expectation," Reed told Granoff near the end of the tour.
The project fits in with the "re-urbanization" trend Reed said he sees in Providence and in other American cities. He spoke to Granoff about a federal grant program aimed at helping cities plant trees as a way to improve air and water quality.