Create jobs.
Promote tourism.
Preserve RI’s history.

The Rhode Island History Center, to be located on Smith Street across from the State House, will be a hub of historic education and civic engagement.

Create hundreds of jobs

The construction phase of the State History Center will result in $74 million in spending at local businesses and create more than 400 high-paying, family-sustaining jobs.

Boost cultural tourism

The RI History Center will help cement Rhode Island’s superiority as a cultural tourism destination – enticing new cultural tourists and encouraging those who are already here to stay longer and spend more. Cultural and heritage tourism is a $192 billion dollar industry in the U.S. – and growing.

Preserve our history and provide access to RI’s historical documents

The RI State History Center will be a hub of historic education and civic engagement – and highlight the many important contributions RI has made to our nation’s history. Documents on display will include:

  • Letters from George Washington
  • Rhode Island’s copy of the Bill of Rights
  • Original copies of RI’s Declaration of Independence

  • As we celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary, Rhode Islanders have the opportunity to invest in a legacy project – the State History Center – to honor Rhode Island’s role in promoting the ideals of freedom, equality, and independence.

    Secretary of State Gregg Amore

  • The Rhode Island State Archives stand as vital guardians of our state’s history, legal rights, and public trust, preserving the official records of government actions and safeguarding the evidence that shapes the lives of citizens today and for generations to come.

    Keith W. Stokes, Rhode Island Historian Laureate

  • The construction of the State History Center will create meaningful opportunities for the working men and women of the Rhode Island Building Trades to earn family-sustaining wages and good benefits while building a lasting legacy for our state. Our skilled tradespeople are proud to build the infrastructure and public institutions that serve Rhode Islanders, and we look forward to putting our skills to work on a project that will preserve and showcase Rhode Island’s history for generations to come.

    Michael F. Sabitoni, President, Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council and LIUNA General Secretary-Treasurer

  • Investing in the State History Center is an investment in Rhode Island and in the people who call our state home. This project will create good jobs, support economic development, strengthen our cultural tourism economy, and leave a lasting public asset for generations to come. When we make investments in Rhode Island, we should make sure those investments create opportunities for working people, and the State History Center can do exactly that.

    Patrick Crowley, President, Rhode Island AFL-CIO

Facts and Figures

Question 4 is a $50 million Cultural Economy bond on the November ballot that would provide $45 million to construct a State History Center and $5 million for matching grants to support the preservation and improvement of historic sites, museums, and cultural arts centers across the state.

The State History Center will serve as a hub for historic and civic education and provide Rhode Islanders and visitors with a permanent place to experience some of the state’s most important historic documents and artifacts.

The proposed center will feature approximately 3,000 square feet of exhibit space, including a permanent gallery for Rhode Island’s historic treasures, rotating exhibits, and a multipurpose space for events, functions, and educational programming.

Among the historic treasures slated for permanent display are:

  • The Royal Charter of 1663
  • The Rhode Island Act of Renunciation from May 1776
  • Documents related to the HMS Gaspee
  • One of Rhode Island’s copies of the Declaration of Independence
  • An original copy of the Bill of Rights
  • The 1778 Battle of Rhode Island Map
  • State boundary records
  • Council of War records

The center will also include limited collections storage with state-of-the-art storage conditions and security to protect some of the most valuable documents and objects currently held by the State Archives.

Additional exhibit space will allow for rotating exhibits featuring materials from the State Archives’ collection as well as items loaned from other institutions.

The State History Center is a legacy project for Rhode Island during the nation’s 250th anniversary year. In 1976, Rhode Island built the Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery as a legacy project honoring the nation’s Bicentennial. Fifty years later, the State History Center can provide a new opportunity to preserve Rhode Island’s history and make it accessible to future generations.

The project will also create more than 400 high-paying, family-sustaining construction jobs and provide an opportunity for skilled tradespeople to help build a permanent home for Rhode Island’s history.

In addition to funding the State History Center, Question 4 would provide $5 million for matching grants administered through the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, supporting preservation projects at historic sites, museums, and cultural arts centers across Rhode Island.

The State History Center would provide a dedicated space where Rhode Islanders, students, researchers, and visitors can engage directly with the documents and artifacts that tell the story of the state and its role in the founding of the nation.

About the Coalition to Preserve Rhode Island’s History

The Coalition to Preserve Rhode Island’s History is a growing coalition of organizations, community leaders, labor representatives, historians, preservation advocates, and supporters working to educate Rhode Island voters about Question 4 and the proposed Rhode Island State History Center.

Create jobs.
Promote tourism.
Preserve RI’s history.

Vote by Tuesday, November 3rd

Early voting starts on October 14th