a photographic survey of louis h. sullivan's 1914 merchants' national bank ornament

the following gallery represents only a fraction of photographic images taken of louis h. sullivan's 1914 merchants' national bank during my trip to iowa, as i forge ahead documenting the ornament of his "jewel boxes" designed and built in small towns across the midwest between 1909 and 1919.

when time permits, i will be posting additional images taken during my brief visit to grinnell in june of 2019. there are several hundred images to review and later edit to complete a thorough visual analysis of the bank and its ornament.

merchants' national bank was completed in 1914 with a grand opening on the first of january the following year. despite the rectangular-shaped “jewel box” being smaller than his banks in owatonna and cedar rapids, the bank appears equally as monumental, with gargantuan ornamental terra cotta panel surrounding a richly colored, centrally located geometric stained glass window executed by long-time collaborator, louis millet.

in addition, large panels of art glass windows are situated along the side, alternating with ornamental cast iron columns. an art glass skylight comprises much of the ceiling.

like sullivan’s banks in columbus, cedar rapids, and sidney, he chose to incorporate figurative decoration in the form of full-bodied rearing lions, with the two used on merchants’ national containing sizeable wings and emblematic shields.

sullivan’s draftsman, parker berry, assisted in the bank’s plans and detailing of ornament.

the original rearing lions flanking the entrance, were modeled by kristian schneider and executed by the american terra cotta company. sadly, in 2008 the lions were vandalized, with one being reduced to fragments. their replacements, cast from a mold taken from the one with least damage, were executed in bronze with a surface patina matching the gold enameled glaze of the originals. the fragments of the destroyed lion can be viewed in a glass display case located in the bank’s lobby.

interior images:

further reading: