Bank of America Building (Providence)
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| Bank of America Building | |
 |
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| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kennedy Plaza, Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1925 - 1928 |
| Use | Office |
| Height | |
| Roof | 428 ft (130 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 26 |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Walker & Gillette, George Frederick Hall |
| Developer | Industrial Trust Company |
The Bank of America Building (or "The Superman Building" to locals) is the tallest building in the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island, and the 28th tallest in New England.[1] Standing at 428 feet (130 m) and comprising 26 floors, it was the third tallest building in New England when completed, behind the Traveller's Tower in Hartford, CT[2] and the Custom House Tower in Boston[3][verification needed].[4].[5]
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[edit] History
The building was built as the Industrial Trust Tower in 1927, and designed in the Art Deco style popular at the time. Stepped buildings in New York had been architects' solution for Manhattan's strict zoning regarding adequate amounts of light and air. Facing no such restrictions in Providence, the New York architects, Walker & Gillete, chose to keep the stepping. The base and the trim at the base's top was built to match the cornice height of existing adjacent (now gone) four-story buildings.[6] The building was previously known as the Fleet Bank Tower. The building has remained relatively unchanged over the years with the exception of the lobby, the upper windows and several stone eagles at the top of the tower on the light beacon which were removed decades ago after an eagle fell to the street below. At night the peak of the building glows a bright blue (red and green at Christmas, red for Valentines Day) the lights shut off at midnight.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The Bank of America building is one of three Providence buildings commonly shown in the background of outdoor scenes in the television series Family Guy, in company with 50 Kennedy Plaza and One Financial Plaza.
- The Bank of America building, built in 1927, is the oldest building to have a state record for tallest in state. The next oldest building to hold a state height record is the Empire State Building, built three years later.
- During the 1950s, it was rumored that the Daily Planet building[citation needed], from the Superman comics, was modeled after this building. Even though this is untrue - the actual model was the Ohio Bell Building in Cleveland, Ohio (finished that same year)[7] - the building is still referred to as the Superman Building by locals for its resemblance in the comics and the 1950s television series.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2] Emporis.com, Traveller's Tower, Hartford, CT
- ^ [3] Emporis.com, Custom House Tower, Boston, MA
- ^ Superman Building. Pdvbldgs.com. Accessed April 7, 2006.
- ^ Woodward, Wm McKenzie. Guide to Providence Architecture. 1st ed. United States: 2003. ISBN 0-9742847-0-x. p101.
- ^ Woodward, Wm McKenzie. Guide to Providence Architecture. 1st ed. United States: 2003. ISBN 0-9742847-0-x. p101.
- ^ Ohio Bell Huron Building, Cleveland. Emporis.com. Accessed June 5, 2005
- ^ Bank of America Building. Emporis.com. Accessed June 5, 2006.
[edit] External links
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| Preceded by Rhode Island State House |
Tallest Building in Providence 1927—Present 130m |
Succeeded by None |
