Iowa jewel box bank 2
September 3, 2025 at 9:29 PM by Dr. Drang
This morning I visited the Louis Sullivan jewel box bank in Grinnell, Iowa. Built in 1914, this one is known as the Merchant’s National Bank.
Like the others, it’s a National Historic Landmark.
Personally, I think Sullivan went overboard on the entranceway decoration here. The gigantic enclosure for the front stained glass window is too big for the building,
and the lions on either side of the entrance are heading into the realm of kitch.
I like decoration, but this is a far cry from “form follows function.”
The current lions, by the way, are reproductions, built after some vandalism to the originals. The originals were moved into the building. One of them is in pretty good shape,
while the other’s broken pieces are kept behind glass.
I prefer the long side of the building, with its repeated tall stained glass windows and columns.
The top edge of the building might be considered overdone,
but I think its distance from the viewer tones it down. The repeated elements over the plain windows on the front and side are considerably simpler because they’re closer to us.
As you can see, this building, like the one in Algona, is currently home to the local Chamber of Commerce. The difference is that this building used to be a bank, while Algona’s never was.
While it was still a bank, it got an addition that I think deserves some praise. Here, you can see the addition (which is still a bank) in context with the original building.
Three things I like about the addition:
- First, it doesn’t overwhelm the original; it’s actually smaller.
- Second, the repeated tall vertical windows reference the stained glass windows of the original.
- Third—and I’m sorry it’s partially blocked by the parked cars—the archway is reminiscent of the beautiful large arched windows of Sullivan’s Owatonna bank. Very nice.
Inside, you get a better view of the stained glass windows at the front and the side.
I don’t know if the pendant lighting is original, but it looks like it.
There’s a collage of images on a wall at the rear of the original building, next to the doors that lead into the addition. Most of them are old photos, but they also included some drawing excerpts, which I appreciated.
Too bad other people don’t see the beauty in title blocks.