The Barnes and Thornburg Building is a
high rise
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction ...
in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
originally known as the Merchants National Bank Building. In 1905, the
Merchants National Bank and Trust Company engaged the architectural firm of
D. H. Burnham & Company of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
to design a new bank headquarters on the southeastern corner of the
Washington and
Meridian streets, the most important intersection in Indianapolis. Initial occupancy of the lower floors took place in 1908,
while the upper floors were not completed until 1912.
[ ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs]
History
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the ''Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been "the most successful power broker the American archi ...
was one of the architects associated with the
Chicago School. He designed the Merchants Bank Building using
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 (architecture), Chicago ...
's formula of base, shaft, and capital. The base, consisting of the first floor and mezzanine, is of
Indiana limestone. The shaft is of red brick, while the attic floor capital has profuse Classical moldings of
terra cotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...
.
[
The 17 floors are used primarily for office space. The building and its annex at 7 E. Washington Street were added to ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1982.[ It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. Its current owner and primary occupant is the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP.
For nearly 70 years, Merchants National Bank and later Merchants National Corporation had used the building as its headquarters from 1908 until the completion of Merchants Plaza in June 1977.]
See also
* List of tallest buildings in Indianapolis
*
References
External links
*
*
National Park Service historical article about the former Merchants National Bank Building
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Skyscraper office buildings in Indianapolis
Headquarters in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis
1912 establishments in Indiana
Office buildings completed in 1912
Chicago school architecture in Indiana
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