Rhode Island society released endangered properties in Providence

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Providence Preservation Society released its annual rundown of the most endangered properties in the city on Monday, and not surprisingly, the Superman Building topped the list again.

Officially known as the Industrial Trust Building, at around 430 feet (130 meters), it is the tallest building in the state but has been vacant for nearly a decade. It is called the Superman Building because it resembles the Daily Planet headquarters in the old "Adventures of Superman" TV show.

Opened in 1928, it has been on the endangered properties list every year since 2014, except one.

In 2019 it was included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of the nation’s most endangered historic places.

The building's "prolonged vacancy ... and lack of action are stunting the vibrancy and renaissance of our downtown by occupying a lifeless void," the society said in a news release.

Renovating and modernizing the building could provide jobs, help address a housing shortage, and revitalize the downtown area, the society said.

The other properties on the 2022 list are the Broad Street Synagogue, also called Temple Beth El; the Providence Gas Company Purifier House; the Rhodes Street National Register Historic District; Grace Church Cemetery; Cathedral of St. John; Tockwotton Fox Point Cape Verdean Community; Prince Hall Masonic Temple; and the Urban League of Rhode Island Building.

The annual list "celebrates places of architectural, historical, and cultural significance vulnerable to loss and promotes good, sustainable preservation solutions that save sites and benefit the communities around them," the nonprofit society said.