Before its current incarnation as a design hotel, the structure had a baudy past. Built in 1912 by an Episcopalian church, it formerly housed a strip club and a music venue, among other businesses. Heckman sought to update the interiors, restore some of the original luster, and create a hotel befitting modern-day Providence. "The ambition was more to create something that felt articulated and indigenous and obviously pleasing without being designed or overly intentional," Heckman, a Providence native, says. "The Dean had a very well-known and checkered past and we did not want to gloss over that—we wanted visitors to appreciate the transformation but see through to the roots a tiny bit." Search “hotels” from The Dean Hotel in Providence

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Before its current incarnation as a design hotel, the structure had a baudy past. Built in 1912 by an Episcopalian church, it formerly housed a strip club and a music venue, among other businesses. Heckman sought to update the interiors, restore some of the original luster, and create a hotel befitting modern-day Providence. "The ambition was more to create something that felt articulated and indigenous and obviously pleasing without being designed or overly intentional," Heckman, a Providence native, says. "The Dean had a very well-known and checkered past and we did not want to gloss over that—we wanted visitors to appreciate the transformation but see through to the roots a tiny bit."