There are so many abandoned places in Rhode Island! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Rhode Island. Browse through all abandoned places in Rhode Island
'Superman building’ is an abandoned building complex in Providence, Rhodes Island, USA. Industrial trust Co. Building, Industrial Trust Tower, Fleet Bank Building, and Bank of America Building are some of the many names the building has. Built-in 1925, Superman Building was left deserted in 2013 to date.
The site where the building stands today was first occupied by Butler Exchange Building built in the 1800s. The death of the exchange company later opened doors for the industrial trust company to build the would-be tallest building in the state of Rhodes Island. Construction of the 26-story complex took only a year from the ground-breaking ceremony.
Despite being the tallest building, it also made history as the building that took the shortest time to construct. From its completion date to 1998, there were no changes in the building until Industrial Trust Company renamed it to Fleet Bank. It went by this name “Fleet Bank Tower’ for at least two decades. A rename and branding later occurred once more in 1998, when the building was leased to the Bank of America hence the name Bank of America tower.
In 2012, the long-term tenants, Bank of America vacated the building after failing to renew their lease with the owners. At this point, the building had become extremely dilapidated from lack of maintenance. This would later bring controversies between the local government and Bank of America. The issues were settled when Bank of America paid for the damages. From that day, the building went to a state of disuse to this date.
Superman Building changed hands once more with the new owners having plans to revive the historic structure to its former glory. The owners who were determined to turn the building into a residential and business complex have since given up on the dream. A proposal to raise funds for the renovation of the building from the public was met with high resistance, from both the government and locals. Nothing of significance or development has been done on the building since it changed ownership. Currently, the building stands worthless in the middle of the street. Plans to put the building down have been there for a long time but no one is ready to finally approve it.
A great section of the structures has faced extreme vandalism and graffiti that has defaced it beyond recognition. It also attracts illegal activities and gangs. The building is closed and out of bounds to the general public. Though there is no life for the building, current owners have continued to raise money with hopes of one day renovating the building.
Fort Wetherill is an 1890s former coast artillery of the USA defense forces. Fort Wetherill which sits on a cliff off Narragansett bay in Jamestown, Rhode Island replaced the obsolete Fort Dumpling. After 4 decades of operations, Fort Wetherill was abandoned and is currently used as a state park.
Fort Wetherill or the “circular tower of stone’ as it was originally known was built between 1895 and 1903 on the former fort Dumpling site. Fort dumpling, which was built by Patriot forces, was built in 1776 to act as a garrison for Americans, British and French forces during the Revolutionary war. After years of operations, the British who were the last forces to occupy the fort abandoned and deserted the fort as they saw it was of non-significance.
Under the leadership and supervision of captain Alexander Wetherill, construction of fort Wetherill began. After 7 years of construction, the new fort would be named fort Wetherill in honor of Alexander Wetherill. Fort Wetherill served as a training facility both in World War I and II. Operations ceased in the fort by 1946, 43 years after its inaugural opening.
After world war II, Fort Wetherill was used as a center and detention facility for captured German prisoners of war. Though some minor military activities were seen on the property, the fort was more of a detention facility than a military installation. At the same time new defense installations, Fort Greene and Fort Church were established. This saw a decline in activities at Fort Wetherill drastically as the troops were transferred to the new two forts. By 1946, operations at the fort ceased and it was left to rot.
Rhodes Island state later on acquired the fort after decades of rejection with the intention of restoring the site into a state park. With resources from the federal government, the state of Rhodes Island demolished unstable buildings on the property and introduced modern recreational facilities. With the name Fort Wetherill state park, the once abandoned and disowned military installations are fully equipped with walking trails, picnic tables, and scuba diving sites for enthusiastic visitors.
Fort Wetherill is open to whoever feels like visiting the historic site. Old American cup sailing boats used at the 1984 races are some of the visible historic attractions at the site. Though visitation is encouraged and appreciated by the current government, some of the old batteries and buildings are out of bounds due to their weak walls and sunken foundations. Taking caution while at the site can be of great help for both the managing body and the visitor.
Rocky Point amusement park is an old abandoned amusement park located in Warwick, Rhode Island. Established in 1847, the park which was Rhode Island locals’ favorites was closed and deserted after a century-plus of operation.
The park came into existence officially in the 1840s when a local, Cpt William Winslow purchased the site. With savings and loans from local banks, Winslow started a mini- amusement park with services like picnics and dinner. With un-imaginable profits that the services returned soon the park expanded and by 1900, Rocky Point amusement park was at its peak. The park became one of the best recreational centers in Rhode Island. At one point in time, a national league match was played at the park. Apart from being the best recreational center, Rocky Point Amusement Park offered concert hosting services.
Rocky Point amusement park began to experience financial difficulties at the close of the twentieth century, leading to its closure in 1994. The park's management's avarice was the source of the park's financial instability. They utilized the profits from the park to fund other side enterprises. Rocky Point reopened after a two-year battle but filed for bankruptcy the following year. It was forced to close permanently, and its assets were auctioned off.
Rocky Point Amusement Park is currently in ruins and a state of disarray. The majority of the principal structures have now been dismantled, and some have been severely defaced. The land has been passed down the generations and is now held by the city of Warwick. The city of Warwick intends to rehabilitate the park and turn it into a public park for Rhode Island residents. Plans to rebuild the now-defunct Rocky Point amusement park have been shifting since 2003, but none have been implemented. The city of Warwick was able to destroy and clean the unstable structures throughout the land.
Since the removal of the extremely ruined and dangerous unstable main buildings of the park, it was open to the general public. Though there are no fun recreation facilities at the park as before, one can enjoy the quiet and tranquility offered by the park. There are no major life-risking hazards at the now state park. Picnics, nature walks, camping, and laser tag playing areas are some of the fun activities that one can enjoy in the park. Plans to build a modern-day museum have been in the offing for quite some time now. Financial issues have put this on hold for now. Get time to visit the historic Rocky Point Amusement Park, you won’t regret it.