Corporate Modernism

Old Stone Bank Tower // 1969

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Believe it or not, this 23-story reinforced-concrete tower in Downtown Providence, Rhode Island, was designed by the same firm as the Empire State Building in New York City! The Old Stone Bank Tower (now known as Textron Tower for its largest tenant) was designed in 1969 and completed in 1972 from plans by the New York architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, as the new headquarters and offices for the Old Stone Bank in Providence. The bank was originally located in a stately stone building nearby on South Main Street, before expanding operations into this new skyscraper, the fifth tallest in Rhode Island. The exterior of the tower is formed by a grid of aggregate concrete containing deeply recessed, dark windows inside. At the street, the tower sits elevated behind a podium of marble, harming its street condition. Architecturally, the break in the grid for the exposed corners is a nice touch, and while some say the building is “reminiscent of prison architecture”, I feel that there are much worse examples of architecture. What do you think?

Stone & Webster Office Building // 1975

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Stone & Webster, established in 1893 by MIT graduates Charles Stone and Edwin Webster, was a national leader in electrification and power generation, and provided services in engineering, construction, environmental remediation, infrastructure, and plant operation for industrial clients. After the Boston Redevelopment Authority acquired and demolished sections of South Station for redevelopment, Stone & Webster decided to relocate their offices to this new site. Los Angeles-based architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates, designed the office building in a late International-style, which serves as a counter to the masonry and classically designed, South Station nearby. The steel frame with metal and glass skin and boxy form are effective at delineating the building from its neighbor, but is not pedestrian-friendly at the ground level as the raised ground floor is lined at the sidewalk by concrete steps. The building is now largely leased to Fidelity Investments.