National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna

	National Farmers' Bank
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark
	U.S. Historic district; Contributing property
	Owatonna's classic bank
Location	Broadway and Cedar Streets, Owatonna, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°5′6″N 93°13′33″W / 44.08500°N 93.22583°W
Built	1908
Architect	Louis Sullivan
Architectural style	Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements, Other
Part of	Owatonna Commercial Historic District (ID14001237)
NRHP reference No.	71000441
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 26, 1971
Designated NHL	January 7, 1976
Designated CP	February 2, 2015

The National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna, Minnesota is a historic bank building at Broadway and Cedar Streets. It was designed by Louis Sullivan with decorative elements by George Elmslie. It was built in 1908, and was the first of Sullivan's "jewel boxes". The building is clad in red brick with green terra cotta bands, and features two large arches on its street-facing facades. Single-story wings, originally housing bank offices, extend along each side. Internal elements include two stained-glass windows designed by Louis J. Millet, a mural by Oskar Gross, and four immense cast iron electroliers designed by George Grant Elmslie and cast by Winslow Brothers Company (owned by William Winslow, for whom Frank Lloyd Wright designed an iconic house).^[2]^[3]

The officers of the National Farmers' Bank sought Sullivan out, in part because they wanted a fresh idea of a bank building that would suit their specific needs, and they felt that conventional bank architecture of the time would not meet those. The building Sullivan designed included a farmers' exchange room, where its clients might do business with each other, a women's consultation room, a conference room for the bank board, and the president's office. All of these rooms were richly decorated, with custom furniture.^[3]

The bank was remodeled in 1940, and many of the interior architectural elements were destroyed. Subsequent work in 1958 and from 1976 to 1981 restored it to its original grandeur. On January 7, 1976 it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark for its architectural significance.^[2]^[3] The building now houses a branch of the Wells Fargo bank. It is also a contributing property to the Owatonna Commercial Historic District.^[4]

Images

West elevation detail
Cartouche
Cartouche detail
Exterior terra cotta
Electrolier

Other Louis Sullivan "jewel boxes"

Farmers and Merchants Bank, Columbus, Wisconsin (1919)
Henry Adams Building, Algona, Iowa (1913)
Home Building Association Company, Newark, Ohio (1914)
Merchants' National Bank, Grinnell, Iowa (1914)
People's Federal Savings and Loan Association, Sidney, Ohio (1918)
Peoples Savings Bank, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1912)
Purdue State Bank, West Lafayette, Indiana (1914)

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c "National Farmers' Bank". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
^ ^a ^b ^c Carolyn Pitts (July 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Northwestern National Bank of Owatonna / National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 4 photos, exterior and interior, from 1971 and undated. (941 KiB)
^ Pearson, Marjorie; Renee L. Hutter; Andrew J. Schmidt (April 2011). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Owatonna Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-24. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.

[nhlsum-2] "National Farmers' Bank". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-10-02.

[nrhpinv-3] Carolyn Pitts (July 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Northwestern National Bank of Owatonna / National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 4 photos, exterior and interior, from 1971 and undated. (941 KiB)

[4] Pearson, Marjorie; Renee L. Hutter; Andrew J. Schmidt (April 2011). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Owatonna Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-24. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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[2]

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v t e National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota
Homes	Charles A. Lindbergh House and Park F. Scott Fitzgerald House Frank B. Kellogg House James J. Hill House Thorstein Veblen Farmstead O. E. Rolvaag House Oliver H. Kelley Homestead Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home Andrew John Volstead House
Commercial enterprises	Pillsbury A-Mill Washburn "A" Mill Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator Plummer Building Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine Mountain Iron Mine Lake Vermilion-Soudan Iron Mine National Farmers' Bank St. Croix Boom Site
Military	Fort Snelling
New Deal	Rabideau CCC Camp St. Croix Recreational Demonstration Area
Prehistoric	Grand Mound Kathio Site
Lighthouse	Split Rock Lighthouse

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Related	National Historic Preservation Act Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category

v t e Louis Sullivan
Adler & Sullivan works	Martin Ryerson Tomb (1897) Auditorium Building, Chicago (1889) Auditorium Theatre Carrie Eliza Getty Tomb (1890) Wainwright Building (1890) Wainwright Tomb (1892) Bellefontaine Cemetery (1892) Prudential (Guaranty) Building (1894) Chicago Stock Exchange Building (1894) Bayard–Condict Building (1899) Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building (1899)
Sullivan works	Bradley House (1909) Charnley House (1892) Pilgrim Baptist Church (1890) Farmers and Merchants Union Bank (1919) Gage Group Buildings (1898) Halsted House (1883) Adams Building (1913) Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral (1903) Home Building Association Bank (1914) Jewelers Building (1882) Krause Music Store (1922) McVicker's Theater (1891) Merchants' National Bank (1914) National Farmer's Bank of Owatonna (1908) People's Federal Savings and Loan Association (1917) Peoples Savings Bank (1911) Purdue State Bank (1914) St. Paul United Methodist Church (1914) Van Allen Building (1913)
Lost buildings	New Orleans Union Station (1892–1954) Dooly Block (1891–1965) Louis Sullivan Bungalow (1890s–2005) Garrick Theater (1891–1961, A&S) Pilgrim Baptist Church (1891–2006, A&S) Dexter Building (1887–2006, A&S)
Affiliations	Adler & Sullivan Dankmar Adler
Other	Prairie School Tall: The American Skyscraper and Louis Sullivan "Form follows function"
Category Commons Wikiquote

Images

Other Louis Sullivan "jewel boxes"

See also

References

External links