Providence Looking at WaterPlace Park for Temporary Matunuck Oyster Bar Spot

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announced on Monday, June 9, that the city is on board to help a Rhode Island oyster bar recover from a devastating fire last month.

Since the blaze consumed the Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown last month, several fundraisers have been created, and community members have stepped up to help this beloved community oyster bar.

Smiley said the city has engaged in “some original conversations” with the bar's owner, but plans are “very preliminary.”

“I reached out immediately to the business owner, who I know, and told them if there was a way that Providence could play a role in either a short-term or a long-term solution to the tragedy, that we wanted to do so,” Smiley explained to 12 News on Monday, June 9. “Most importantly, there's 300 people who work at the oyster bar who don't have jobs right now. We want to make sure that they find work and that that treasured Rhode Island institution finds a home and can reopen as soon as possible.”

The Boston Globe reported that the city's conversations on the matter included a proposal to temporarily open the oyster bar in Waterplace Park at the former site of Skyline at Waterplace.

Skyline at Waterplace had been enmeshed in a legal tussle with the city since April 2023. At that time, the property's owners were accused of violating their lease agreement by failing to maintain the property. The city's parks department assumed management of the building after the city settled with the former owner to evict Skyline.

Providence finalized the settlement in October 2024. Documents at that time showed that the city agreed to pay nearly $278,000.

Over the past few months, the city has been hosting interested parties to tour the vacant space. According to Smiley, the city still intends to issue a request for proposal (RFP) at some point this year. Currently, the city is soliciting feedback on the use of the building.