National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

National Farmers' Bank
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

The National Farmers' Bank of Owatonna from the southwest
Location in Minnesota Show map of Minnesota Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	101 North Cedar Avenue, Owatonna, Minnesota
Built	1908
Architect	Louis Sullivan
Architectural style	Prairie School
Part of	Owatonna Commercial Historic District (ID14001237)
NRHP reference No.	71000441
Added to NRHP	August 26, 1971
Designated NHL	January 7, 1976
Designated CP	February 2, 2015

The National Farmers' Bank in Owatonna, Minnesota, is a very special old building. It was designed by a famous architect named Louis Sullivan in 1908. This bank is known for its beautiful and unique design, often called a "jewel box" because it looks like a precious, decorated box. It's made of red brick with green terra cotta decorations. Terra cotta is a type of baked clay used for building and art. The bank also has two big arches on its front. Today, it's a branch of the Wells Fargo bank and is recognized as an important historic landmark.

A Special Bank Building
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A Special Bank Building

The National Farmers' Bank was built in 1908. It was the first of several unique bank buildings designed by Louis Sullivan. He was a very important architect. The building is covered in red brick. It also has green terra cotta bands, which are decorative strips. Two large arches stand out on the sides of the building that face the street.

Single-story sections extend along each side of the main building. These parts originally held offices for the bank.

Designed by a Master

Louis Sullivan designed this bank. He also worked with George Grant Elmslie, who created many of the decorative parts. Sullivan wanted to create a fresh, new look for bank buildings. He felt that the usual bank designs at the time were not good enough. The bank's officers agreed and asked him to design something special for their needs.

Inside the Jewel Box

The inside of the bank is just as special as the outside. It has two beautiful stained-glass windows. These were designed by Louis J. Millet. There is also a large mural painting by Oskar Gross.

You can also see four huge electroliers inside. Electroliers are fancy light fixtures, like chandeliers. These were designed by George Elmslie. They were made from cast iron by the Winslow Brothers Company.

A Bank for Everyone

Sullivan's design included several unique rooms for the bank's customers and staff.

There was a farmers' exchange room. Here, farmers could do business with each other.
A women's consultation room was also included.
The bank board had its own conference room.
The bank president also had a special office.

All of these rooms were richly decorated. They even had custom-made furniture.

Preserving History

The bank building was changed in 1940. Sadly, many of the original interior decorations were removed or destroyed. However, later work helped bring it back to its original beauty. This restoration happened in 1958 and again from 1976 to 1981.

Because of its amazing design, the building was named a National Historic Landmark on January 7, 1976. This means it's a very important historical place in the United States. The building is also a contributing property to the Owatonna Commercial Historic District. This means it helps make that whole area special and historic.

Today, the National Farmers' Bank building is a branch of the Wells Fargo bank.