523 Charles was originally built around 1910 as a hardware store/lumber yard. The main building was used for storage. The lumber was hauled in by horse and carriage at the time. The four bay garage and back yard area were used as stables for the horses. Around 1950 the building was bought by Phillip Abraams Inc. They made glass bottles, and used the building for storage. The building was boarded up in the early 70s and was vacant until the early 90s. When the building was taken over in the 90s, 16tons of glass bottles had to be removed. Some were saved and used to line the paths in the garden next door.
523 Charles is located on the North End of Providence in the neighborhood of Charles. It is just off of Branch Ave, in between 95 and 146. It takes about 5-10mins, depending on the time of day, to get to downtown Providence. Conviently located a short 2min drive to Homedepot and Walmart, Stop n Shop and Whole Foods are both within a 5min drive. There is a middle school across the street that has a large field and playground, a great place to take a dog for a walk or a run on the track. A community garden opened up a few years ago a couple doors down and has garden beds for rent each season.