Monk & Johnson of Pawtucket were the architects for this mushroom-column, flat-slab, reinforced-concrete-construction building. While its technology is identical to that in the nearby A.T. Wall Building (now remodeled beyond recognition), the exterior of this building is given a more decorative treatment. Built as an investment by James Doran & Sons, this was the home of the Speidel Chain Company, a manufacturer of gold watch chains run by Albert Speidel, early in its history. After World War I, Speidel’s brother Edwin, responding to changing fashions for time-keeping pieces, developed the expandable watch bracelet in 1930. This popular watchband, the “Twist-O-Flex,” was manufactured here from 1930s in the 1980s.
– 2003 Guide to Providence Architecture
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