An Old Textile Mill in Rhode Island Is Now a Vibrant Hotel Buzzing With Design

Set in the artsy Olneyville neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, this 1880s structure was once occupied by American Woolens Company, a legacy distributor of woolen fabrics. More recently, the 5,120-square-foot space was converted into a live/work arrangement by a designer-ceramicist couple before being put up for sale in 2019. Now, its new owners have given the historical structure yet another life—this time as a boutique hotel and event space, aptly named the Dye House. 

The hotel is the second of its kind by husband-and-wife duo Everett and Valerie Abitbol, who had actually never planned on getting into the hospitality business. It all started with a visit to San Francisco, when they stayed in the venue where the wedding they were attending took place. "All the rooms were booked by our friends and family, and it felt more like a large Airbnb than a hotel," says Everett. "It felt different than any other way we had traveled—our group had a way better time than those staying at the more formal hotels." When they got home to Philadelphia, they created The Deacon, a stylish hotel and event space set inside a circa-1906 Baptist church. 

The story of Dye House starts with a purchase made by Everett. One day, he was reading about J Schatz, the ceramic studio that formerly occupied the building, and ended up ordering a bird feeder for his mother on their website. Since the Abitbols visit Providence regularly when they stay at their summer home in Narragansett, Everett decided to pick up the feeder in person. He immediately clicked with the owners, Peter Souza and Jim Schatz, who showed him around the neighborhood, introducing him to friends and local businesses like the Steel Yard, and Lotuff, a leather maker next door. Everett, smitten with the community, brought Valerie back the next weekend to finalize the purchase of the building from Souza and Schatz. "We joke that I went to get a bird feeder and ended up with a building," says Everett.