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Look! Up in the Sky! It’s the Superman Building

The iconic Industrial Trust Building in Providence got its nickname from its similarity to the Daily Planet structure famously portrayed in the Superman comic strip

July 31, 2024

Did you know that Rhode Island has a building right out of a comic book? Welcome to the Industrial Trust Building in Providence, aka the Superman Building. This 26-story building was completed in 1928 and was inhabited by banks until 2013. This beautiful art deco building got its nickname because it looks identical to the Daily Planet headquarters made famous by the Superman comic strip. But that’s not the only cool thing about this super building.

You may recognize the architectural style as it looks very similar to New York City’s most iconic skyscrapers — the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, but the Industrial Trust Building predates both of them by two years!

Get the full story in the reel below.

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Allison Magnus Allison Magnus is the Social Media & Digital Producer for Rhode Island PBS. She runs all of the stations’ social media accounts and YouTube channels, creating graphics, thumbnails, reels, and trending promotional content. Allison graduated from The University of Rhode Island with a dual Film and English degree. She has been writing, directing, editing, and producing all forms of media content from short films to social media videos for almost a decade now. Previously, Allison was a radio host and general manager for WRIU 90.3 FM. In her free time, you can find Allison traveling around the world documenting her explorations.

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