People's Federal Savings and Loan Association facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
People's Federal Savings and Loan Association
|
|
Unusual architecture of the 1918 People's Federal Savings and Loan
|
|
 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 101 E. Court St., Sidney, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1917 |
| Architect | Louis Sullivan |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001042 |
| Added to NRHP | June 5, 1972 |
The People's Federal Savings and Loan Association building is a special historic bank. It is located at 101 East Court Street in Sidney, Ohio. A famous architect named Louis Sullivan designed it. The building was finished in 1917. It is still used by the People's Federal Savings and Loan Association today. This building is one of a few banks Sullivan designed for small towns. These were built across the central United States between 1908 and 1919. It is so important that it is called a National Historic Landmark.
A Unique Design by Louis Sullivan
The People's Federal Savings and Loan Association building stands at 101 East Court Street. It is on the corner of South Ohio Street in Sidney. You can find it across from the Spot restaurant. It is also near the Gothic Revival Monumental Building. The Shelby County Courthouse, built in the Second Empire style, is also nearby.
This building is very colorful. You can see many different colors on its outside. For example, there are corbels (support brackets) made of multicolored terracotta above the front windows. The main entrance has a large, rounded archway. This style is called Romanesque Revival. The bottom part of the building is made of shiny black marble. The walls around it are a strong red color.
Other parts of the walls have many windows. These windows feature beautiful blue, green, and purple glass. Sullivan's design for this bank shows his special architectural idea. He believed buildings should be simple in their main structure. But they should have very detailed and fancy decorations.
The "Jewel Box" Banks
The Sidney People's Federal Savings and Loan Association was one of the last projects for architect Louis Sullivan. These projects led to a group of bank buildings. People often call them "jewel boxes." This is because they are not very big. But they are very fancy and beautiful, like a decorated box for jewels.
There is a story about how Sullivan designed this bank. He spent two days looking at the empty lot where the bank would be built. After that, he drew a sketch of his idea. At first, the bank directors did not like his sketch. They wanted a more traditional design. They preferred a building with classic features.
Sullivan told them that "a thousand architects" could design a classic bank. But only he could create this unique type of design. In the end, the building was completed. It even cost $1,000 less than Sullivan had estimated.
Other "Jewel Box" Banks by Sullivan
Louis Sullivan designed several other "jewel box" banks. Each one is unique and beautiful.
- Farmers and Merchants Bank, Columbus, Wisconsin (1919)
- Henry Adams Building, Algona, Iowa (1913)
- Home Building Association Company, Newark, Ohio (1915)
- Merchants' National Bank, Grinnell, Iowa (1914)
- National Farmer's Bank, Owatonna, Minnesota (1908)
- Peoples Savings Bank, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1912)
- Purdue State Bank, West Lafayette, Indiana (1914)
