Have I ever been to Providence, Rhode Island? No. Will I ever go to Providence? Well, the answer to that question used to be yes! Now I’m not so sure!
Providence is the location of a little snuggery called the Duck and Bunny. It has been mentioned before on the Sneer Campaign as being a little obsession of cchris that he drags me along for — so I know a lot about it. This is also how I know about the Zodiac Killer, Isabelle Morton, Buzzfeed Unsolved’s stars Shane and Ryan, and the abundance of Bitch Be Gone spells on YouTube. The Duck and Bunny is a business in that city that was housed in a great old building, but then moved to a less interesting location, while the old building was “renovated,” with the intention of moving back into it by 2022. That seemed fair. Renovating old buildings and bringing them up to modern code standard is often a time-consuming ordeal.
Every few weeks, it seemed, I would get an update on their efforts via cchris. Not very long ago, mere weeks ago, I am pretty sure, they gave the announcement that they’d reopen at the old location in 2022. But earlier THIS week, very unexpectedly, they just tore that old building right down to the ground.
It was a sensation! A bad one. Personally, I am always deeply saddened when a nice old structure that ISN’T caving in is torn down. I have always been upset by this, even when I was a small child. A lifelong distaste for such decisions has followed me around. So this news came as a shock to me. Interestingly but not surprisingly, according to cchris ace reporter and snoop artist, this news was also shocking to many of the Duck and Bunny’s clientele, supporters, and neighbors.
“How dare you tear down this old building from the year 1900! This is happening all over Providence! The history is being erased!” At first, we were upset that Providence is getting a facelift all over. Then we were delighted to hear that this Wickenden Street was on the Historic Register. Then we were dismayed to hear that it isn’t really something that they enforce and that everything is listed as being built around 1900. What a little roller coaster we were on, very afar from this drama that did not involve us in the least.
Articles by actual locals cropped up. The outrage was no longer limited to comments on Instagram and Facebook. We began to hear that the former owners were saddened. This might have also been when we learned that there were former owners vs new owners. The new owners had promised to care for it, they said. There was a radio interview or podcast referenced where the new owner spoke of the renovation and all of that. And that the new owner “couldn’t be reached for comment” on these events. There’s a lot of hearsay being flung around! These new owners better speak up before they are villains for the rest of eternity!
At around this time, we learned that the old building was more likely built in the 1850s. An actual crime! Houses that old should be preserved! Coddled! Expensive teas and cupcakes should be delicately enjoyed in their precious rooms filled with eclectic antique decor!
This morning though, cchris came to me with news that the building was actually built in 1792. It just keeps getting older and older! And more and more upsetting. All that old timber: smashed. There could have been fundraisers. Maybe there were, alleged some facebook comments that I accidentally read while doing minimal research. Well if there were, I certainly didn’t hear about them in time! I, a person not from there! There could have been community action, helping to preserve the character of the street. But now it’s too late.
Once upon a time, I wanted to go to Providence to see the Duck and Bunny. The allure was the building, not the sixteen dollar muffins. And as I post this, I guess the wave of reactions from people who aren’t local, who have never been there, and can’t possibly mind their own business has begun. Make them rebuild that Duck and Bunny! Shattered piece of timber by shattered piece of timber! They are MONSTERS!
But at least at the final moment I remembered that I jokingly started to write an article about them back in 2019 — exactly two years ago from today. Fated. Destined. I hope you enjoy it, and that you derive comfort from it during these upsetting times.
