Industrial National Trust (Superman Building) | Downtown | Providence

After the death of the owner, what is happening with Providence's 'Superman Building'? What we know.


 

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Survival to Its Centennial in Doubt. Robert Whitcomb, Columnist, GoLocalProv


Providence’s Industrial Trust Building (aka “Superman Building”), a classic Art Deco skyscraper opened in 1928, has been empty and decaying since 2013. It has certainly garnered a lot of attention, such as on The Wall Street Journal’s front page on Oct. 6. But despite the romantic affection that many have for it, we should accept that its most likely future might well be demolition, despite the work that’s been done, with major public financing, to try to repurpose it, mostly for 285 housing units.



Providence could always use more housing, and the people from 285 units would be a big economic and sociological boost for downtown.



But much more money is needed! So far, about $100 million in federal, state and local subsidies and tax incentives has been spent on the building and tens of millions by the owner, High Rock Development, though the total amount it has spent remains a mystery; it bought the place in 2008 for $33.2 million.



The economic and interior-design challenges of big old downtown buildings make them very tempting to tear down, and public fatigue is setting in when it comes to spending more tax money on the Industrial Trust Building. (A billionaire architectural historian who loves Jazz Age buildings is unlikely to show up to save it.)



Note that a beautiful Belle Epoque building called the Butler Exchange, which went up in 1871, was at the same site. It was demolished after a fire did heavy damage to it in 1925. With the Industrial Trust Building, will we end up with what economists sometimes call “creative destruction’’ or just destruction and a big hole in the ground?
 

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Frankie811 said:

Leggat-Barr ’28: Brown should rescue the Superman building.​



www.browndailyherald.com

Leggat-Barr ’28: Brown should rescue the Superman building

Serving the Brown University community since 1891
www.browndailyherald.com www.browndailyherald.com
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"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood"--Daniel Burnham, 10 Summer St. (aka Filene's) architect

I get that this is merely a provocation/whimsical trial balloon to help stir enlightened dialogue, but it still seems ridiculous. For all the revitalization Brown has surely accomplished over the past several decades on College Hill and perhaps in pockets of Downtown proper, is it in the business of rescuing gigantic Art Deco masterpieces with exceptional adaptive reuse challenges?

That said, what's the rush? (Seriously: the building's sat dormant for well over a decade...).

RI, Providence, and RIDOT, working in concert with the property owners and "community stakeholders" abutting the Kennedy Plaza/Burnside Park, need to develop an overall vision for the entire Kennedy Plaza/Burnside Park area--the greenspace and all immediate abutting properties ringing it. Everything should be on the table, including, should City Hall be sold to a private developer so the City can move into a modern space? As exquisite a building as it is, it seems extremely strange that a modern big-city municipal apparatus is forced to make do in a building erected in...

[checks notes]

1878.
 
New England Born & Raised said:
The nearby former 11 story bank hq tower of RI Hospital Trust (built 1920) was converted to college use. It today houses the library on lower floors and dorm rooms on the upper floors for RISD.
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While this is beautiful reuse, this building is directly across the (narrow) Providence River from the RISD "campus," like 150 feet from the next closest academic building. The Industrial Trust building is only a couple doors down from this, but Brown is significantly further, either up College Hill or in the Jewelry District (like 1500-2000 feet in either direction). It's a small and walkable downtown and near the Kennedy Plaza bus hub so not ridiculous, but it's also not the most intuitive choice for Brown to invest in for any internal use purpose. It would make more sense for Johnson & Wales, if anything.
 
MjolnirMan said:
While this is beautiful reuse, this building is directly across the (narrow) Providence River from the RISD "campus," like 150 feet from the next closest academic building. The Industrial Trust building is only a couple doors down from this, but Brown is significantly further, either up College Hill or in the Jewelry District (like 1500-2000 feet in either direction). It's a small and walkable downtown and near the Kennedy Plaza bus hub so not ridiculous, but it's also not the most intuitive choice for Brown to invest in for any internal use purpose. It would make more sense for Johnson & Wales, if anything.
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While the Brown main undergraduate campus is a few blocks away on the hill on the east side, the school presently also has quite a bit of property on the western side on the river in the downtown area which is primarily associated with its med school. This includes class space, faculty offices, research labs, and housing.
 
In my mind it would feel about as isolated as the school of public health does from either the medical school or the main campus. As a standalone school or something maybe it could make sense geographically. Weirder things have happened, Yale bought the old Bayer facility 5 miles away to use as a west campus lmao. Maybe some billionaire alum will make a gift to establish something lol
 
New England Born & Raised said:
While the Brown main undergraduate campus is a few blocks away on the hill on the east side, the school presently also has quite a bit of property on the western side on the river in the downtown area which is primarily associated with its med school. This includes class space, faculty offices, research labs, and housing.
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Those are located in the aforementioned Jewelry District - and while it may seem deceptive due to the Providence River and steep grade of College Hill, the Industrial Trust building is actually closer to the main campus (1500 ft to the Rockefeller Library) than it is to the biomedical campus (1900 ft to 70 Ship Street). It's closest to the Public Health School building but that's not much.
 
I don't think the building location is a problem for Brown, but I doubt they'd consider it.

Still, it's big enough that it could have a portion dedicated to student housing, a portion dedicated to market rate housing, and a portion dedicated to classroom space, library space, cafe space, etc. It could be a hub for students living downtown (and there are plenty). That's the thought, anyway.
 
This entire city is going to be Brown/RISD/JWU. Sad.
 
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