The Old Bank of Louisville, also known historically as the Southern National Bank building, is a historic commercial building at 316 West Main Street in downtown

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. Completed in 1837, it was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1971 for its exceptionally fine Greek Revival architecture. It currently serves as the lobby for the adjacent

Actors Theatre of Louisville Actors Theatre of Louisville is a non-profit performing arts theater located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Actors Theatre was founded in 1964 following the merging of two local companies, Actors, Inc. and Theatre Louisville, operated by Louis ...

Description and history

The Old Bank of Louisville is located in downtown Louisville, on the south side of West Main Street between 3rd and 4th Streets. Occupying a relatively narrow lot, its facade consists of a pair of fluted stone columns topped by Ionic capitals and set ''

in antis An anta (pl. antæ, antae, or antas; Latin, possibly from ''ante'', "before" or "in front of"), or sometimes parastas (pl. parastades), is a term in classical architecture describing the posts or pillars on either side of a doorway or entrance of ...

'' beneath an entablature and iron crested parapet. The flanking antae are, like the columns, fashioned from limestone, but with a battered finish. Behind the columns is a three-bay facade, with tall multipane windows flanking and rising above the center entrance. The interior retains some original finishes, notably including Ionic columns and a domed ceiling. The building was probably completed in 1837, for the Bank of Louisville, which had been chartered in 1832. It was probably designed by James Dakin, an architect who had worked with

Minard Lafever Minard Lafever (1798–1854) was an American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century. Life and career Lafever began life as a carpenter around 1820. At this period in the United States there were no ...

, including the preparation of drawings for Lafever's ''The Beauties of Modern Architecture'', published in 1835. Several of the building's features appear to be derived from plates found in that book. Gideon Shryock, who was long thought to be its designer, apparently served as its construction superintendent. After serving for many years as a bank, the building was converted in the 1970s to serve as a lobby space for the adjacent theater.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places 19th-century buildings and structures in Louisville, Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky Commercial buildings completed in 1837 Commercial buildings in Louisville, Kentucky Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky National Historic Landmarks in Kentucky 1837 establishments in Kentucky Greek Revival architecture in Kentucky