Trailer supplying heat to ‘Superman’ building

A SUPPLEMENTAL HEATING SYSTEM has taken up residence on Westminster Street outside the entrance to the
A SUPPLEMENTAL HEATING SYSTEM has taken up residence on Westminster Street outside the entrance to the "Superman" building, the result of what the building manager says is a boiler that is in "really bad shape." The trailer is expected to remain there until the end of the heating season. / PBN PHOTO/MARK S. MURPHY

PROVIDENCE – A large trailer has taken up residence outside 111 Westminster St., known as the “Superman” building.
Property manager Thomas Prendergast said the trailer houses a generator which is being used as a supplemental heating system for the vacant building, the city’s tallest.
“The boiler is in really bad shape,” he said Friday morning.
Prendergast said the trailer will be parked outside the building for the duration of the winter season, although a sign near it refers to an end date in May. He said the only purpose of the trailer is to supply heat, so once the need is over, the trailer will be removed.
Bank of America left the 1928 building in spring 2013. It is owned by High Rock Development, which is actively looking for a new tenant for the building, he said.
Functions have been held inside the building since the bank’s departure, he said.
While he said the building is “structurally sound,” some of its components, such as the heating system, are old and need upgrades.

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