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Madison State Bank, 1913
Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie
Madison, Minnesota
razed 1968
For the Madison State Bank, Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie produced a long, narrow plan for the middle of a block. The exterior featured a window wall with aqua, orange, and yellow terra-cotta ornament enlivening the brick façade. This was similar to Purcell and Elmslie's other bank designs, as well as to Louis Sullivan's National Farmers' Bank in Owatonna. The tellers' cages, in the center of the Madison bank, were framed in quartersawn oak panels terminating in light standards akin to those designed for other commissions, notably the Edna S. Purcell House (Purcell-Cutts House). Even though the bank president's office was located at the very back of the building, it was situated to provide a direct view of the front door so the president could greet clients personally as they entered. The architects even included a specially designed vault that allowed air to enter if someone were locked inside during a robbery. Six panels from the main skylight are in the collection of The Minneapolis Institute of Arts; they form the basis of the reconstructed skylight, which is on view in the museum's Ulrich Architecture and Design Gallery. Features of the Prairie School > |
