Providence Superman Building Owners to Begin $25M “Demolition Process” This Month

The owner of the “Superman Building” in Providence has announced plans to restore — and demolish portions of — the building this morning.

The Industrial National Bank Building at 111 Westminster Street has been vacant since 2013 when Bank of America shuttered its doors at the location.

As GoLocal reported in 2019:
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“An investigation by GoLocalProv that included drone footage shot of the exterior condition of the vacant Superman building raises questions about the state of Rhode Island’s tallest building. The footage shows hundreds of cracks, crevices, and chipping of the limestone exterior of the building. The decay appears to have dramatically increased over the past two-plus years.”

According to the owner, the restoration and demolition will not include any public funding.

About Planned Repairs

Superman Building owner High Rock Westminster, LLC announced on Thursday they have selected Consigli Construction Co., Inc. as the general contractor for the redevelopment of 111 Westminster Street.

“We are extremely excited to be making today’s announcements as the process to begin the redevelopment and repurposing of 111 Westminster Street has finally arrived. We have the utmost confidence in Consigli as they have handled rehabilitation and landmark restoration projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast,” said David Sweetser, manager of High Rock Westminster.

Permit Application Submitted With City

Additionally, the High Rock team announced that an application for a Physical Alteration Building Permit has been submitted to the City of Providence to “allow for the commencement of the rehabilitation and construction process for the redevelopment of 111 Westminster Street.”

According to High Rock, “The restoration of the Superman Building is expected to begin this month. The first phase of the project will include interior demolition, asbestos abatement, and other work preparing various aspects of the building for restoration, totaling approximately $25 million dollars. This phase is expected to take six to nine months. No public tax dollars are being expended at this time.”

High Rock says the following project scope is anticipated.

“Phase One will be a top-down process beginning on the upper floors of the building. An exterior elevator (hoist) will be installed on the building to aid in the removal of construction debris. Pending the approval of the City of Providence, trucks and dumpsters will be staged on the Fulton Street side of the building for truck staging and debris removal. The Westminster Street side of the building will not be impacted by the demolition process. Fulton Street will remain open to vehicle traffic during this process.”