Louis Sullivan’s Merchants National Bank Building in Grinnell, Iowa is one of eight of a series of small “Jewel Box” banks Sullivan designed at the end of his career, from 1908 to 1920. The banks dot various small Midwestern towns in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana. Sullivan, who mentored Frank Lloyd Wright, made huge contributions to modern architecture, and was influential in the development of the steel-frame skyscraper, could no longer land large commissions. His partnership with Dankmar Alder dissolved after the 1893 economic depression. Sullivan’s personality, described as arrogant and uncompromising, made it more difficult to get the few large jobs that existed. He could land commissions for small commercial buildings, including several banks – the jewel boxes.

Sullivan’s bank stands out on the streets of Grinnell. I’ve stood on the street outside the building after hours a few times. The building itself is a solid brink square, with elaborate stained glass windows and terra cotta ornamentation. The light from the Rose Window and East Windows streams onto the quiet streets. The Rose Window is a rich assemblage of geometric greens, yellows and blues and is surrounded by an elaborate terra cotta portal. The city has incorporated the design of the portal into their town seal, and the design is mimicked throughout the town. The bank’s East Windows seem to take up nearly the entire wall of the building – 40 feet wide and 15 feet tall – and are strikingly beautiful. Two gilded griffons guard the entrance and the entire building (including the unfortunate 1974 addition) gives the impression of secure (but beautiful) fortress, and underscores the importance of a bank in a small farming community. Your money is going to be safe in there.

Until it is not. The Merchants National Bank opened on New Year’s Day in 1915, and closed during the height of the agricultural depression in 1924. The building opened again as the Citizens National Bank in 1926, then changed hands several more times. The Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce resides in the bank now. A Wells Fargo bank is in the 70’s addition.

I had never been inside the Jewel Box before, but met an employee who was happy to give my family an after hours tour on a Saturday night. Although the time to visit is during the day when the sun streams into the building, it is still striking at night. There is a stained glass skylight that I can only imagine is gorgeous on a sunny day, a beautiful glass mosaic around the clock over the door, and a beautifully carved wooden check writing desk. One of the original terra-cotta griffons was vandalized, so studier replicas were built and place outside. The intact and demolished originals are now safe on the inside of the bank. (I was a little fascinated with the smashed up griffon.) While the ornamentation is striking, the interior is very much a bank. The vault is gone, you can see Sullivan’s idea of form following function exemplified in the building. Next time I am in Grinnell, I’ll need to plan a few minutes to go inside during daylight hours.

This video shows the interior of the Bank
Read a New York Times article about the banks