photographic documentation of louis h. sullivan's purdue state bank exterior terra cotta ornament

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This entry was posted on April 13 2020 by Eric

i finally had the opportunity to visit and meticulously document louis sullivan's purdue state bank (completed in 1914) over the weekend. the images (see below) are all exterior with an emphasis placed on the richly colored glazed terra cotta and tapestry brick.

located in west lafayette, ind., the purdue state bank is the smallest and least expensive "jewel box" he executed, costing only 14,600 to build. while the use of exterior ornament is more restrained compared to his other bank buildings, the lavishly colored polychrome treatment is perhaps the finest, espeically the dark emerald green-colored panels with iridescent glaze.

with exception to the entrance (plugged with an atm machine), modification of the chimney, replacement of the terra cotta (damaged when an automobile slammed into the building in the 1960s) and an addition to the rear of the structure, the exterior remains largely intact.

the bricks were made in nearby crawfordsville, in, which were also used for farmers and merchants bank (1919) located in columbus, wisc.. in fact, when an addition was added in 1960, the bank needed brick to match the original bank building. they managed to not only track down the still-operating company but discovered that it still possessed the original brick molds used in 1919.

the recently exposed tapestry bricks located above the entrance, which includes the original "purdue state bank" bronze plaque was protected them from prolonged exposure to the elements. this offers a rare glimpse of the range and vividness of colors as they appeared at the time of construction. in time, they too will fade like the rest of the facade.

after spending the summer months last year documenting sullivan's banks in iowa, i'm pleased to get back on the road and head east, where i hope to visit his banks in ohio to complete the "circuit." i've created a sizable photographic archive of the banks i've been too with nearly 20,000 images of their exteriors, interiors and ornament.

purdue state bank as it appeared in 1956. likely taken by aaron siskind for institute of design louis sullivan project. with the exception of the entrance door replaced with an atm, removal of original sign, partially demolished chimney and addition to rear, the bank is largely intact on the outside.

images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and bldg. 51 archive.

The Purdue State Bank Building is a historic structure in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States designed by American architect and Frank Lloyd Wright mentor Louis Sullivan. Completed in 1914, the bank is the smallest and least expensive of Sullivan's "Jewel Boxes," a series of Midwestern banks designed in the modern style at the end of his career. Built on a tiny, trapezoidal lot between two streets, the structure is less ornamental than most of the architect's other work, including only a few terra cotta panels.^[1]^[2] The building cost $14,600 to be constructed, of which only about 10% was paid to Sullivan, barely covering his expenses. A local paper at the time referred to Sullivan as "one of the most noted bank architects in the United States."^[3]