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

Kenneth C. Zirkel/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Share
Kenneth C. Zirkel/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Look! Up in the Sky! It’s the Superman Building
Copy

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.

Researchers at URI and the state Department of Environmental Management to spend five years on a comprehensive study of Rhode Island’s wild turkey population
November 28 - January 2, 2026
Will the Rhode Island Senate remain divided? Plus, Helena Foulkes leans on a big name to raise more campaign cash
From restaurants to bakeries to dance studios, local business owners describe customer losses, creative pivots, and the hard-earned resilience they’ve needed to keep going since the westbound bridge shut down in late 2023
The closures are the latest in what is expected to be a wave of parish consolidations across Rhode Island
After ICE agents “wrongfully” detained a high school intern at a Providence courthouse, the state’s highest-ranking judge said the legal system will consider making virtual hearings more accessible