In the 1920s, Rhode Island’s capital, Providence, was roaring. Decades of successful industrial production, most notably textile manufacturing, had helped the city grow into a modern boomtown. It had streetcars, telephones, railroad connections, and large factories. It also had the Industrial Trust Company, founded in 1882, which had grown into one of the largest and most powerful banks in New England. Profits were expanding at a dramatic rate. By 1925, the company’s president and board chairman decided to invest its nearly $150 million in assets into a new headquarters, right in the center of the city.

That building would define Providence's skyline for the next nine decades. Today, however, its iconic place above the Providence River is endangered, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation has named it one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2019. The building has been vacant for six years, and multiple plans for use have fallen through. The tower, affectionately called the "Superman Building" by locals, could use a hero.

The Industrial Trust Company hired the architecture firm Walker & Gillette to construct the massive tower. The forward-thinking firm collaborated with local architect George Frederick Hall, envisioning the building in the style of the times—a thoroughly modern aesthetic that would later be called Art Deco. The style had recently exploded onto the international scene, spurred by a 1925 exhibition in Paris that displayed unique art, design, and architecture to more than 16 million visitors.

