History buffs, architects, and urban explorers alike will find much to love at ArtInRuins.com, a website that chronicles the rise, fall, and rising again of Rhode Island’s historic buildings.

Some buildings, like the former cotton mill where we toured Sarah & Hillary’s loft this week, have been converted into fantastic spaces while others have slipped into urban decay or disappeared altogether. ArtInRuins lovingly records them all with photographs, construction updates, building histories, ephemera, and reader anecdotes.

The site, which was founded by graphic designer J Hogue in 2001, starts its mission statement with: “We at ArtInRuins believe that decay is beautiful, but not necessary.” It celebrates Rhode Island heritage and the responsible redevelopment of urban spaces while providing a community for action and discussion when historic buildings are destroyed or abandoned.

Now that boarded up buildings are becoming the norm in some areas, ArtInRuins seems like a necessary and poignant forum for collective local remembrances. If you grew up in Rhode Island where a lot of the urban landscape has changed (mostly for the better) over the last 20 years, browsing the photographs will get some serious nostalgia going.

www.artinruins.com

MORE ON REDEVELOPED RHODE ISLAND BUILDINGS:
Sarah & Hillary's Maximalist Loft
Affordable Artist Live/Work Studios by DBVW Architects
Jason's Book-Filled Loft

(Images: ArtInRuins)