Historical note:

            Joseph R. Muratore has had a long and varied career in Warwick, R.I., most notably as a real estate agent and developer. He did business at various points as Muratore Associates, Muratore Financial Service, and Muratore Agency, Inc. He was president of Columbus Mortgage and Loan. He also served the town of Warwick in the 1950s and 1960s on the Zoning Board of Review, the Tax Review Board, and as tax assessor. He is also a published historian of Warwick and of the Italian-Americans of Rhode Island, and had a regular historical column in the Echo, the Italian-American newspaper in Providence.

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Scope and content:

            This collection consists solely of records from Muratore's real estate businesses. Only a small portion of his development projects are represented. Among the most significant files in the collection are: extensive documentation of the Bonnet Shores Estates project in Narragansett, 1978-1986; two folders on the Rose Court Estates development in Charlestown, 1988-1991; and a 1990 file on the Swansea Country Club, located on the line between Swansea, Mass. and Warren, R.I. There is also a folder re the 1999 sale of the Sunoco Mini Mart in Warwick including detailed reports on retail sales made at the store; both the seller and purchasers were apparently Pakistani-American. These records document one of the most important periods of Rhode Island's suburban development.

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Provenance:

            These papers were donated by Joseph R. Muratore in 2000.

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Processing note:

            The papers donated in 2000 have been sorted and assessed, and unwanted material has been returned to Mr. Muratore. The collection still awaits processing, as further material is expected. At present, the papers are loosely organized and still housed in their original folders. Rhode Island College has a large collection of Muratore's personal papers, relating primarily to his historical research on the state's Italian-Americans.

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Subjects:

Bonnet Shores Estates (Narragansett, R.I.)

Charlestown, R.I. - Buildings, structures, etc.

Convenience stores - Rhode Island - Warwick

Country clubs - Massachusetts - Swansea

Golf courses - Massachusetts - Swansea

Italian Americans - Rhode Island - Warwick

Narragansett, R.I. - Buildings, structures, etc.

Pakistani Americans - Rhode Island - Warwick

Real estate development - Rhode Island

Rose Court Estates (Charlestown, R.I.)

Service stations - Rhode Island - Warwick

South County Medical Building (Narragansett, R.I.)

Suburban homes - Rhode Island

Sunoco Mini Mart (Warwick, R.I.)

Swansea Country Club (Swansea, Mass. and Warren, R.I.)

Warwick, R.I. - Buildings, structures, etc.

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RIHS1822