Two things survived last week’s fire that destroyed the Bradley Cafe near Providence College.

One was the home plate from the old Friars’ baseball field, a relic from a team that no longer exists. The other was a motorcycle vest that belonged to one of the bar’s most beloved regulars, who died of cancer but whose friends kept his vest hanging there in his memory.

In a way, those two objects told the entire story of the place: part shrine to Providence College athletics, part neighborhood clubhouse.

That’s what made it so special. In a city where campus and neighborhood often live side by side but not always together, Brad’s, as everyone called it, managed to belong to both for nearly a century.

👉 You can read my full column here.