Color Story
Olneyville ’ s Dye House hotel and events space makes room for community interaction . By Jamie Coelho
There are signs of sheep all over the Dye House hotel and event space in Olneyville , which opened this past spring . From the sheep-shaped bike racks welded by the Steel Yard to cheeky toilet paper holders in the loft ’ s bathroom and the names of the suites , Twill , Weft and Heddle — which are weaving terms — the building ’ s history as a dye house for wool manufacturing is intertwined in unusual places .
The Dye House previously served as J . Schatz ceramics studio . Owner Everett Abitbol became enraptured with the space when he stopped in to buy a birdfeeder for his mother . Shortly after his first visit , he set the spools in motion to buy the building for his next hotel project , as the owners were looking to relocate . “ The joke is I went to buy a birdfeeder and ended up with a building ,” he says .
Everett and his wife , Valerie Abitbol , previously started Deacon Hospitality Group and launched the Deacon hotel in Philadelphia , a sanctuary that led a previous life as a Baptist church until it closed . “ I lived in a neighborhood in Philadelphia where a lot of public space became private by way of condominiums or apartments ,” Abitbol says . He wanted to turn the building into a hotel with a focus on the community and local art . “ We have a love for old buildings and public spaces , and the two kind of came together with the idea of a hotel wrapped around a venue where we offer a good amount of community programming .”
The couple hopes to do the same with the Dye House in Providence . The Abitbols are both University of Rhode Island graduates who own a home in Narragansett , and they bought the building with a goal in mind to spend more time in the Ocean State with their two young children .
Dye House has a vast open area , previously the ceramics studio , that they are planning to use for more community events as well as weddings , while three suites and a luxe loft host guests . The loft can also be rented for private catered dinner parties and more intimate
gatherings . Each room is designed with local art , furniture and decor curated by renowned Philadelphia designer , Yowie . “ The hotel part of the project is the thing that economically supports the venue ,” he says . “ The center area is open so that it can be a place where the community can interact .”
The team is making the event space available at little to no cost for surrounding groups like Mend Yoga , which started leading pay-whatyou-can classes to Olneyville community members in late July . In addition , they are providing six months of free studio space to textile artist and Design RI catalyst grant recipient , Aleksandra Azbel .
“ We ’ d also like to work with the Manton Avenue Project and West Elmwood Neighborhood Association . We want to build out some programming where our space can be useful to them ,” Abitbol says . “ People don ’ t realize how difficult it is to find space at an affordable cost and being able to grant access is important .”
The team chose a sheep theme for the hotel to pay tribute to the mill ’ s history , and they nicknamed the hotel ’ s mascot Baba . “ There ’ s no cuter mascot than a sheep and that ’ s how Baba came along , named by my daughter ,” Abitbol says .
They are also publishing a children ’ s book starring Baba to go along with the theme , and it will tell the history of Olneyville through the sheep . “ My daughter saying it first meant that ’ s what it was going to be , because she ’ s three and she ’ s in charge of us all ,” Abitbol says with a laugh . 46 Dike St ., Providence , 347-868-2996 , dyehouseri . com �
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DYE HOUSE .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2021 21