By Paul Grimaldi and Mike Stanton
Journal Staff Writers
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Bank of America has moved the last of its employees out of the iconic Art Deco building in downtown Providence nicknamed the "Superman" building after its resemblance to The Daily Planet in the 1950s "Superman" Tv series.
The building is now vacant except for the small number of tellers and customers in the first-floor bank lobby, who will soon be moving to a new Bank of America branch next door.
City and state officials, along with downtown business leaders have worried about the effect the empty building could have on downtown development.
The building's owners, High Rock Development, is considering new uses for the building, including residential units, but says it will need millions of dollars in historic tax credits from the state, said its spokesman, Bill Fischer.
Such credits would need approval of the legislature. High Rock has hired Fischer and lobbyist Nick Hemond, who worked on the 2012 reelection campaign of House Speaker Gordon Fox, to press for the tax credits.