Walgreens holds ribbon cutting ceremony for $15 million development

The new Walgreens at 333 Atwells Ave. had its official grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, April 4th at 10:00 a.m. The building was developed by PPG Hill, LLC and Cathedral Development Group, Inc. The new store is located below 24 condominium homes, an urban mixed use development approach and the first of its type in R.I. The entire project cost $15 million. Joseph Prignano, district manager, for Walgreens said, "We are extremely pleased and honored to add our hill store to our company list. We have been in operation since 1901, and now in 2008 as we open our fifth Providence location we hope to become part of the history of Providence and especially Federal Hill." Prignano continued to say that the 16,000 s/f drug store features outdoor window displays reminiscent of city department store windows where merchandise was on display for all to see from the sidewalk. David Cicilline, mayor of Providence, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony and said that "Federal Hill is home to some of the best restaurants and boutiques in the state. We are proud to welcome Walgreens to the neighborhood, and look forward to the convenience it will offer neighbors and visitors to this vibrant residential and commercial district." Robert Gaudreau, Sr., principal of Cathedral Development, congratulated Walgreens and related the pharmacy is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. Gaudreau said, "We have developed a unique landmark location on Federal Hill, marketing the ambiance of Federal Hill while offering a great drug store in conjunction with designer condominium homes above. Our design of the building keeps the unique history, traditions and reputation of Federal Hill in mind."