Lincoln Bank Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lincoln Bank Tower |
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| General information | |
| Type | Office |
| Location | 116 East Berry Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States  |
| Coordinates | 41°4′45.23″N 85°8′19.67″W / 41.0792306°N 85.1387972°W |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 312 feet (95 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 22 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Alvin M. Strauss |
The Lincoln Bank Tower is a tall, impressive building in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. It was built in a cool style called Art Deco, which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Construction began in late 1929, and the building opened its doors in 1930. For many years, it was the tallest building in the entire state of Indiana! People sometimes called it "Lincoln Bank Tower" to tell it apart from another building nearby that used to be known as the "Lincoln Life Building."
Contents
History of the Lincoln Bank Tower
How the Bank Got Its Name
The bank that built this tower started in 1905 as "The German American National Bank." But during World War I, many people in the U.S. felt angry towards Germany. Because of this, the bank changed its name to Lincoln National Bank on May 31, 1918.
The name "Lincoln" was a great choice! There was already a successful insurance company called Lincoln Life down the street. Plus, people were excited about the Lincoln Highway, which was the very first road to go all the way across the United States. It even passed through Fort Wayne! In 1928, Lincoln National Bank joined with another company, Lincoln Trust Company, to become Lincoln National Bank and Trust.
Building the Tallest Tower
Soon after the new bank was formed, its president, Charles Buesching, decided to build a huge skyscraper. He wanted it to be the main office for the new bank. Buesching, who was a German immigrant himself, saw the building as a special tribute to the German immigrants who had settled in Fort Wayne. These immigrants were a big part of the bank's customers and supporters.
Alvin M. Strauss, an architect from Fort Wayne, designed the building. The construction started on August 16, 1929. Just a few months later, in October 1929, the stock market crashed in what was known as the Great Crash. This was a very difficult time for the economy. However, even with the crash, construction on the $1.3 million building kept going!
The Lincoln Bank Tower was the tallest building in Indiana until 1962. It remained the tallest in Fort Wayne until 1970, when the Fort Wayne National Bank Building was built.
New Owners and New Life
In 1995, the bank that owned the tower, which was then part of Norwest Bank, moved to a new building. This left Lincoln Tower mostly empty. In 1997, the building was sold because the owners couldn't pay their loan.
But in 1998, a company called Tippmann Properties bought Lincoln Tower. They started to carefully fix it up and make it beautiful again. A new bank, called Tower Bank, decided to open its main office in the Lincoln Tower. They even used a gold picture of the Lincoln Bank Tower as their company logo!
In 2014, another bank called Old National Bank bought Tower Bank. Old National Bank then made the Lincoln Bank Tower its main office for the Fort Wayne area. They kept many of the old Tower Bank leaders and continued to use the tower for banking services.
Lincoln Tower in Movies and Commercials
The Lincoln Bank Tower has even been a star! In 1996, parts of a movie called In the Company of Men were filmed there. The main bank lobby was used for the very last scene of the movie. Other scenes were shot in the restrooms and offices throughout the building. There was even a shot from the roof looking down at the Allen County Courthouse.
Twenty years later, Old National Bank filmed parts of a TV commercial in the bank's lobby. This commercial was shown in many places where Old National Bank has branches, including in Wisconsin.
Building Details
The Lincoln Bank Tower has many amazing features. At the main entrance, you can see seven bronze panels. These panels show different moments from the life of President Abraham Lincoln.
The building is made from a lot of strong materials. It has 1,774 tons of steel and is covered with 21,250 cubic feet of beautiful Indiana limestone and granite with shiny gold parts. It also has special lead panels, a 58-ton terra-cotta crown at the top, and 500 tons of marble. On top of the building, there's a thin observation tower with a flagpole.
Inside, between the entrance and the main lobby, there's a snack shop. It still has its original soda fountain from 1930! The main banking lobby is huge, about 85 feet (26 m) wide and 110 feet (34 m) long, and it's two stories tall.
The lobby has large Art Deco murals, which are big paintings on the walls. These murals show different industries and seasons, using symbols from Greek and Egyptian traditions. For example, a female shape might represent growth, and the sun might represent energy. The lobby also features fancy materials like hand-crafted bronze, Milford granite, Italian Travertine marble, rare green Vermont marble, and Indiana limestone.
See also
In Spanish: Lincoln Bank Tower para niños
