Old Bank of Louisville

Last updated
Southern National Bank
Bank of Louisville Building, 322 West Main Street, Louisville (Jefferson County, Kentucky).jpg
Old Bank of Louisville Building in 1987
USA Kentucky location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location316 W. Main St., Louisville, Kentucky
Coordinates 38°15′19.96″N85°45′20.02″W / 38.2555444°N 85.7555611°W / 38.2555444; -85.7555611 Coordinates: 38°15′19.96″N85°45′20.02″W / 38.2555444°N 85.7555611°W / 38.2555444; -85.7555611
Built1837 (1837)
ArchitectDakin, James H. [1]
Architectural styleGreek Revival
NRHP reference No. 71000349 [2]
Added to NRHPAugust 12, 1971

The Old Bank of Louisville, also known historically as the Southern National Bank building, is a historic commercial building at 316 West Main Street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Completed in 1837, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 for its exceptionally fine Greek Revival architecture. It currently serves as the lobby for the adjacent Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Description and history

The Old Bank of Louisville is located in downtown Louisville, on the south side of West Main Street between 3rd and 4th Streets. Occupying a relatively narrow lot, its facade consists of a pair of fluted stone columns topped by Ionic capitals and set in antis beneath an entablature and iron crested parapet. The flanking antae are, like the columns, fashioned from limestone, but with a battered finish. Behind the columns is a three-bay facade, with tall multipane windows flanking and rising above the center entrance. The interior retains some original finishes, notably including Ionic columns and a domed ceiling. [3]

The building was probably completed in 1837, for the Bank of Louisville, [3] which had been chartered in 1832. [4] It was probably designed by James Dakin, an architect who had worked with Minard Lafever, including the preparation of drawings for Lafever's The Beauties of Modern Architecture, published in 1835. Several of the building's features appear to be derived from plates found in that book. Gideon Shryock, who was long thought to be its designer, apparently served as its construction superintendent. [3]

After serving for many years as a bank, the building was converted in the 1970s to serve as a lobby space for the adjacent theater.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butchertown, Louisville</span> United States historic place

Butchertown is a neighborhood just east of downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States, bounded by I-65, Main Street, I-71, Beargrass Creek and Mellwood Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanier Mansion</span> Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Lanier Mansion is a historic house located at 601 West First Street in the Madison Historic District of Madison, Indiana. Built by wealthy banker James F. D. Lanier in 1844, the house was declared a State Memorial in 1926, and remains an important landmark in Madison to the present day. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 as one of the nation's finest examples of Greek Revival architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savoyard Centre</span> United States historic place

Savoyard Centre (1900), also known as State Savings Bank, is an office building at 151 West Fort Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1981 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Another historic marker erected November 13, 1964, also notes that the site was previously occupied by Fort Lernoult until July 11, 1796, when, in compliance with the terms of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War, British troops had evacuated their last post in United States territory.

Minard Lafever (1798–1854) was an American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Hill Mansion</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Rose Hill Mansion is a historic house museum on New York State Route 96A in Fayette, New York. Built in 1837 on a site overlooking Seneca Lake, it is one of the nation's finest examples of monumental residential Greek Revival architecture. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. It is now owned and operated by Historic Geneva, formerly the Geneva Historical Society, and is open for tours from May to October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne State University Buildings</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Wayne State University historic district consists of three buildings on 4735-4841 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan: the Mackenzie House, Hilberry Theatre, and Old Main, all on the campus of Wayne State University. The buildings were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1957 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">195 Broadway</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

195 Broadway, also known as the Telephone Building, Telegraph Building, or Western Union Building, is an early skyscraper on Broadway in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. It was the longtime headquarters of AT&T as well as Western Union. It occupies the entire western side of Broadway from Dey Street to Fulton Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple (Quincy, Massachusetts)</span> United States historic place

The Quincy Masonic Temple was a historic Masonic temple at 1170 Hancock Street, Quincy, Massachusetts. It was built in 1926 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The building was home to three "Blue" Masonic Lodges, two Appendant Bodies: York Rite, Grotto, and two Youth Groups: DeMolay and Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Snyder United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse and Custom House, also known as United States Post Office, Court House and Custom House, is a historic courthouse, custom house, and post office located at Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky. It is the courthouse for the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the "United States Post Office, Court House and Custom House" name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground</span> Historic church in Connecticut, United States

The First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground is a historic church and cemetery at 60 Gold Street in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the oldest church congregation in Hartford, founded in 1636 by Thomas Hooker. The present building, the congregation's fourth, was built in 1807, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The adjacent cemetery, formally set apart in 1640, was the city's sole cemetery until 1803.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechanics' Bank and Trust Company Building</span> United States historic place

The Mechanics' Bank and Trust Company Building is an office building located at 612 South Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Built in 1907 for the Mechanics' Bank and Trust Company, the building now houses offices for several law firms and financial agencies. The building's facade was constructed with locally quarried marble, and is designed in the Second Renaissance Revival style. In 1983, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Robert S. Vance Federal Building and United States Courthouse, previously known as the U.S. Post Office and Federal Building & Courthouse, is located at 1800 5th Avenue North in Birmingham, Alabama. The Beaux-Arts-style building was constructed in 1921. It served historically as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, and as a post office. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1976. It is still in use by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Q. Clapp House</span> Historic house in Maine, United States

The Charles Q. Clapp House is a historic house at 97 Spring Street in central Portland, Maine. Built in 1832, it is one of Maine's important early examples of high style Greek Revival architecture. Probably designed by its first owner, Charles Q. Clapp, it served for much of the 20th century as the home of the Portland School of Fine and Applied Art, now the Maine College of Art. It is now owned by the adjacent Portland Museum of Art. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace Theatre (Louisville, Kentucky)</span>

The Palace Theatre is a music venue in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, located in the city's theater district, on the east side of Fourth Street, between Broadway and Chestnut Street. It has a seating capacity of 2,800 people and is owned by Live Nation. The historic landmark opened on September 1, 1928, and was designed by architect John Eberson. It was originally known as the Loew's and United Artists State theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Arcade</span> United States historic place

The Union Arcade is an apartment building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 by its original name Union Savings Bank and Trust. Originally, the building was built to house a bank and other professional offices. Although it was not the city's largest bank, and it was not in existence all that long, the building is still associated with Davenport's financial prosperity between 1900 and 1930. From 2014 to 2015 the building was renovated into apartments and it is now known as Union Arcade Apartments. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Archibald Campbell United States Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The John Archibald Campbell United States Courthouse, also known as the United States Court House and Custom House, is a historic courthouse and former custom house in Mobile, Alabama. It was completed in 1935. An addition to the west was completed in 1940. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Luna Building</span>

Juan Luna Building is a historic building located in Binondo, Manila, Philippines. It was also known as the Pacific Commercial Company Building, First National City Bank Building, and the Ayala Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth Academy building</span> United States historic place

The Portsmouth Academy building is a historic academic and civic building at 8 Islington Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Built in 1809, it is one of the finest surviving examples of an early 19th-century academic building in northern New England, and is attributed to James Nutter, one of the finest local builders of the period. In addition to housing the Portsmouth Academy, it later housed the city's public library, and presently houses the Portsmouth Historical Society galleries, gift shop and the Discover Portsmouth Welcome Center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as "Portsmouth Public Library".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Bank (Huntsville, Alabama)</span> United States historic place

The First National Bank is a historic bank building in Huntsville, Alabama. The temple-form Greek Revival structure was built in 1835–1836. Designed by locally famous architect George Steele, it occupies a prominent position, facing the courthouse square and sitting on a bluff directly above the Big Spring. It was the longest-serving bank building in Alabama, operating until 2010 when Regions Bank moved their downtown branch to a new location. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison County Courthouse (Kentucky)</span> United States historic place

The Madison County Courthouse is a historic courthouse in Richmond, Kentucky, United States, which serves as the seat of government for Madison County. It is a Greek Revival structure originally built in 1849-1850 by John McMurtry according to the designs of Thomas Lewinski, the two of whom were some of the most prominent architects in central Kentucky during the nineteenth century. It has been expanded and remodeled several times since, most recently in 1965. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

References

  1. "Actors Theatre of Louisville - Facility". 2008-02-11. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 "NHL nomination for Old Bank of Louisville". National Park Service. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  4. "KY:Historical Society - Historical Marker Database - Search for Markers". Migration.kentucky.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-14.