Abandoned Bank Vaults & Offices | Rhode Island

This is an abandoned bank…that was constructed in 1929 and closed for good in 2005.

Filmed/Edited by Jason Allard
My website: www.UncomSenseMedia.com
Follow me on Instagram: @Uncomsense

Drone: DJI Spark Fly More Combo
Main Camera: Canon 5D Mark IV w/ Rokinon f/1.5 24mm
Additional Camera: DJI Osmo Pocket

Editing: Final Cut Pro X


This is an abandoned bank…that was constructed in 1929 and closed for good in 2005, after the building was used for a short time as the department of motor vehicles.

It’s six stories tall, with two vaults, a massive main lobby, and 5 floors of offices. It’s in pretty rough shape these days, with vandalism pretty rampant throughout, leaking roofs, and broken windows. There was even a small fire on the 3rd floor back in 2011. But, like all abandoned places, it’s still got some beauty in it, and I think it’s worth showing.

We’re going to start at the bottom level…and I mean the absolute bottom. There’s an entrance into the basement through one of the old hatches, so let’s head down and start there.

The reason we really wanted to start in the basement is because we knew there was something super interesting down there…we just didn’t know where. When the bank was built in 1929, the foundation was laid and the main vault was constructed in the basement out of steel reinforced concrete. Bank vaults are always custom built, and this one was constructed pretty standard for the time. The vault itself is about 2 feet thick, with the door being over 1,000 pounds….so we knew we had to find it, it was just a matter of navigating the basement.

We turned another corner…and there it was.

Unfortunately, the vault was completely empty…not even a penny left behind…just some graffiti on the walls.

With the vault found, it was time to head upstairs to the first floor…where the main lobby was located.The classical revival-themed building is a steel-framed brick and concrete structure. The foundation on the Street is actually made of polished granite. It was modeled after the bank’s headquarters…it has a glazed arcade banking space on the first floor, which was especially beautiful because of the tall Corinthian pillars that rise up to the natural lighting skylights.

I mentioned that this abandoned bank was modeled after its headquarters, which is also still standing, but in much better condition. This is the original headquarters, constructed in 1919, and you can really see the similarities in the architecture - the tall windows, corinthian pillars, and detailed ceiling. Unlike the branch we’ve been exploring, the headquarters had a much different fate when the bank officially closed. It was repurposed as the library for the Rhode Island School of Design, or RISD. Comparing the photos, you can really see how beautiful this place could have been if the owners had found a new use for it.

There is actually another vault in here, behind the main lobby, that you have to walk through some of the back offices to get to. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get in to this one because it has the steel bars blocking the way. Even if we could get inside, it’s completely empty just like the one in the basement.

This vault has another entrance on the opposite side. We went over there, and the door is impossible to open..trust me we tried.

So Eric trued to open it, but due to the extreme rust on the vault door and the fact that it was sagging off the tracks.. it just could not be opened. We couldn’t get in, but there was still a lot more to check out here.

Above the lobby are 5 floors of offices that were used by the bank staff. The layout is the same on every floor, which made navigating here a lot easier than the basement. This is the room that had the fire in 2011…it’s easily in the worst condition out of the entire building.

The rest of the offices are pretty bare now, there are old documents on the floors…but everything is falling apart.

After checking out the offices it was time to head out.

Ok we know what it’s like now, and we know what it could have been…but are there any plans for it in the future?

So no plans right now, and the costs to renovate seem way too high for anything now. It’s likely this place will be demolished…really unfortunate, but can’t save em all.

Big thanks to my friends Suthi and Eric for their help exploring and capturing this place, and their patience with me while I got every shot imaginable. If you like this video be sure to visit my youtube channel and website to see my entire Abandoned from Above web series, where I cover interesting abandoned locations throughout New England.



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