Harry Blacher immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1904 as a young boy. As an adult, he went on to participate in the robust jewelry manufacturing industry in Providence. He and his brother started their own manufacturing business, specializing in purse hardware and shoe buckles; the business at one point occupied the Grant Mill on Carpenter Street in the West End. Blacher and his wife Bertha moved into this Colonial Revival when their sons were still young — the couple lived in the home for the rest of their lives. Both Harry and Bertha were was deeply involved in the Providence Jewish community; the former served on the executive boards of a variety of Jewish organizations including the Jewish Home for the Aged of Rhode Island and Temple Emanu-El. Bertha also worked as the registration chairwoman for local blood drives coordinated with the Red Cross.
After the Blachers passed, Chinese-Americans See-Chen and Isabel Ying moved into the home. See-Chen was a physics researcher and professor at Brown University for a number of years. In 1986, he was awarded a $165,000 grant from the federal government as part of then-President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, also called the “Star Wars” program. Upon receiving the money, See-Chen insisted that his work in atomic physics was purely theoretical — i.e., he was not explicitly trying to aid the government in the manufacturing of weapons. Meanwhile, Isabel worked as a school teacher. She had studied linguistics at Brown, and went on to teach Mandarin classes at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. In the ’70s, she also taught an evening Mandarin class at Providence College, which was described in The Providence Journal as one of the “more unusual” courses at the school. Also in the ’70s, Isabel’s mother, Jyu Sen Shen, moved in with the couple.
The Yings seemed to have been eager to share their culture with the surrounding community. In 1972, the Providence Athenaeum sponsored a Chinese-themed dinner, “Tsui Lung Lou,” or “Literary Dwelling of the Euphoric Dragon.” The food was prepared by local women, including Isabel Ying. Additionally, See-Chen worked with other Chinese Americans in 1981 to create the Chinese Community Library in space lent by the Beneficent Congregational Church on Weybosset Street.
You can read our complete 2024 historic house marker report on 185 Slater Avenue here.
National Register Nomination
HARRY A. AND BERTHA BLACHER HOUSE (1929): A 2.5 story Colonial Revival style single-family house with side gable slate roof, brick foundation, brick walls, brick and wood trim, and wood 6/6 double-hung sash windows. The 5-bay west façade has a center entrance under a large front-gabled portico with fluted Ionic columns supporting side entablature sections with triglyph friezes; the front door is surmounted by a fanlight. All façade windows have flat brick arches (with stone keystones on the 1st floor); the 2nd floor window over the front door is flanked by small sidelight windows. The front roofline features an unusual, picked up cornice containing a frieze of rosettes and reeded panels. The south side elevation has an exterior chimney. The house stands on a raised lot with no retaining wall. Harry A. Blacher was president and treasurer of Joseph E. Miller, Inc. and also Blacher Brothers, jewelry manufacturers. Garage (by 1937): 1 story, pyramidal slate roof, brick, two overhead doors. Stands northeast of, and matches, the house and appears to be original.
HARRY A. AND BERTHA BLACHER HOUSE (1929): A 2.5 story Colonial Revival style single-family house with side gable slate roof, brick foundation, brick walls, brick and wood trim, and wood 6/6 double-hung sash windows. The 5-bay west façade has a center entrance under a large front-gabled portico with fluted Ionic columns supporting side entablature sections with triglyph friezes; the front door is surmounted by a fanlight. All façade windows have flat brick arches (with stone keystones on the 1st floor); the 2nd floor window over the front door is flanked by small sidelight windows. The front roofline features an unusual, picked up cornice containing a frieze of rosettes and reeded panels. The south side elevation has an exterior chimney. The house stands on a raised lot with no retaining wall. Harry A. Blacher was president and treasurer of Joseph E. Miller, Inc. and also Blacher Brothers, jewelry manufacturers. Garage (by 1937): 1 story, pyramidal slate roof, brick, two overhead doors. Stands northeast of, and matches, the house and appears to be original.
Last edited March 3, 2025 by Keating Zelenke