Buttonwoods

Old Buttonwoods is a neighborhood located in the West Bay area of Warwick, Rhode Island. The Old Buttonwoods section of Warwick was founded as a summer colony in 1871 by the Rev. Moses Bixby of Providence’s Cranston Street Baptist Church, who was looking for a serene vacation retreat for his congregation. He envisioned a community that would be similar to Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, where the Methodists established a summer campground in 1835. Today, this coastal neighborhood on Greenwich Bay is home to people from many different religious backgrounds.

This residential neighborhood is small, about 170 houses, and most of the houses are historic, with many Victorian cottages and larger shingled bungalows in the Arts and Crafts style. The waterfront along Promenade Avenue has many mature trees in their streets.

There is a neighborhood group, the Buttonwoods Beach Association, that organizes activities and celebrations for residents, many held at an association-owned building called the Casino. The Casino has a stage and two bowling alleys. Tennis courts and a playground are nearby. Potluck dinners, seasonal parties, and arts and crafts lessons for children take place there. Association members can use the hall for private parties. The association also owns a nondenominational chapel at Ninth Avenue and Janice Road. The city just completed work to connect Buttonwoods to the public sewer system.

Across Buttonwoods Cove, although not part of Old Buttonwoods, is Warwick City Park, which includes three baseball fields, picnic areas and shelters, three-miles of paved bicycle paths, and tennis courts among other amenities.

A group has been established on FaceBook for current and former residents of Old Buttonwoods.