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The National Farmers' Bank of
Owatonna, Minnesota Owatonna () is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fair ...
, United States, is a historic bank building designed by
Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...
, with decorative elements by George Elmslie. It was built in 1908, and was the first of Sullivan's "jewel box" bank designs. The building is clad in red brick with green
terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
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 A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...
by Oskar Gross, and four immense cast iron electroliers designed by Elmslie and cast by Winslow Brothers Company. and   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. 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 A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
for its architectural significance. The building now houses a branch of the
Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
bank. It is also a contributing property to the
Owatonna Commercial Historic District The Owatonna Commercial Historic District is a designation applied to the historic downtown of Owatonna, Minnesota, United States. It comprises 75 contributing properties mostly built between 1871 and the late 1950s. It was listed as a histo ...
.


Images

Image:WestFaceDetail.jpg, West elevation detail Image:LSOwatannaBank1.jpg, Cartouche Image:LSOwatannaBank3.jpg, Cartouche detail Image:LSOwatannaBank2.jpg, Exterior terra cotta File:Electrolier-National FarmersBank-Owatonna-1910.jpg, Electrolier


See also

*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota This is a complete List of National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota. The United States National Historic Landmark program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar resou ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Steele County, Minnesota This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Steele County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Steele County, Minnesota, Unite ...


References


Further reading

* Millett, Larry. ''The curve of the arch: The story of Louis Sullivan's Owatonna Bank'' (1985).
Minnesota Historical Society Press The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before stateho ...
. *


External links


"Why a Minnesota bank building ranks among the nation’s most significant architecture"
''
PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...
'', June 15, 2022.
Minnesota Public Radio: Louis Sullivan's Owatonna BankNHL summary
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Farmers Bank Of Owatonna 1908 establishments in Minnesota Art Nouveau architecture in Minnesota Art Nouveau commercial buildings Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Steele County, Minnesota Commercial buildings completed in 1908 Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Minnesota Louis Sullivan buildings National Historic Landmarks in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Steele County, Minnesota Wells Fargo buildings