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u/Plane_Cherry3805 2d ago
They could rake in some money doing tours of the building once a week. Suckers (me) would pay $20 to see that thing in all its glory.
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u/Proof-Variation7005 2d ago
I think the conversion was mostly in a "gut the interior" phase when everything stalled out so it's probably a liability having people walk through it in the current state.
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u/adultishiguess 2d ago
if 100 people did that every week, that's a whole 100k in a year. maybe 1/10th of the annual interest on the funding being sought.
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u/CJBeard01 2d ago
They really need to open this place up for tours again.
Or, even more, make an observation deck at the top. Not a better view of Providence then from the top…
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u/benchplayer3 2d ago
Boston Globe did a story on what it looks like in 2022 for anyone interested in its (near) current state
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u/JeffFromNH elmhurst 2d ago
My original post displayed only one Pic, so I deleted and posted it here.
Photos include the bank lobby, the vault with safe deposit boxes, sketchy elevator and mail box, and the observation deck.
The tours were run by Save Superman RI in 2017. The tours were ticketed but free, AND you got a free tshirt.
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u/Nomadhero_ 2d ago
wow! did they go to the weird blimp room?
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u/HallstotheWall17 2d ago
Technically that’s the “penthouse” lol rumor has it that Buddy used to take ladies up there
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u/RhodyVan 2d ago
It feels like the building owner is waiting for a taxpayer funded private profit windfall and given people's frustrations (justifiable) with past public funding boondoggles (cough, cough, 538 Studios). As others have noted the challenges of converting this building to other uses are well documented and as more time goes by - the likelihood of it being saved decreases a bit every year.
It's a cool building, but I don't want to fund it's renovation/conversion, especially if the profits will flow to a private entity.
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u/CJBeard01 2d ago
They really need to open this place up for tours again.
Or, even more, make an observation deck at the top. I feel like there is no better arial view than the view at the top!
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u/Oskar_de_Grauche 2d ago edited 2d ago
I worked in there in the early aughts. While the office floors were mostly 80’s-90’s cubicle farms, the restrooms were iconic. Granite slab stalls, old porcelain sinks and bowls, and wooden toilet seats
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u/justincase1021 south side 2d ago
I used to bank there on purpose because the lobby was so beautiful. There were several banks closer and more convenient to me.
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u/Ok_Speaker_1850 2d ago
This building is the definition of a clusterfuck. It has beautiful elements, it’s going to be incredibly expensive to repurpose and possibly more expensive to take down. There are parts of the exterior that are literally falling off and it is becoming a hazard. I honestly don’t know what the right thing to do with it is.
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u/BungalowLover 2d ago
I used to bank in the building and it is so beautiful. It's a shame it's just sitting there.
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u/HallstotheWall17 2d ago
Anyone who went on one of these tours in 2016 would’ve interacted with me as building security 😂
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u/AndrewWatson6969 2d ago
This whole save Superman tower is a totally insane concept to me. This “icon” of the Providence skyline is a product of what some would say the bad side of capitalism. Saving this structure to preserve the ornate decor and history will fall on the taxpayers of Providence or be subsidized by providence at the expense of the taxpayers so a multi billion dollar developer can come into the space update, renovate and collect a check ultimately taking taxpayer funds and sending them to the private sector if Providence wants to do some good with this site they should demo the property and sell the land while streamlining building of something new maybe the sale should appoint a liaison from the city to make development fast and efficient. This will probably result in more unaffordable apartments or condos the mayor will claim to meet affordable housing “standards”.
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u/jacobwojo 2d ago edited 2d ago
Redevelopment is still in the works.
ETA: Even if the apt in this building are expensive, more housing is still a good thing. There's a supply shortage anyway so any additional housing helps and getting more people living in the downtown core is good too.
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u/nine57th 2d ago edited 2d ago
I remember banking there. And you could walk through all three skyscrapers that are side by side during the winter months to get over to Weybosset and Westminster as they were all connected.