Merchants' National Bank

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

1. Merchants' National Bank Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Carolyn Pitts, 7/1975:
This Iowa bank retains most of its original ornament and glass and in particular, its exterior remains as Sullivan designed it. Small in scale,

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

2. Merchants' National Bank Marker

The marker is mounted at eye level on the southeast corner of the building, facing Broad Street.

it is monumental in effect — the exterior is bold and solid — the interior is aglow with light and color. A simple cubic plan, the walls present two elevations both quite different in treatment — the front and side walls vary in fenestration, rhythm and ornament.
The most interesting exterior feature is the entrance door with a huge sunburst of ornament above. Morrison describes it: "All of this detail is executed in gray terra cotta, except the heraldic lions and certain portions of the ornament which are gilded. The sunburst above the door centers about a kind of 'rose-window' in stained glass, and is a remarkable fantasy in superimposed circles, squares and diamonds, with both naturalistic and geometric details. As a study in decorative design per se it is of great interest. It must be ascribed to Sullivan's innate tendency to burst out at times into overwrought lyricism."
The interior is detailed in brick and tile with the same ornament. A decorative gold frieze at the rear of the main corridor repeats the same pattern that appears in the exterior cornice. The oak frames of the hanging lights repeat the motifs of the door lintels.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

3. Merchants' National Bank (southeast elevation)

Ten massive stained-glass windows span the east facade.

The walls have a high brick dado topped by a finishing strip of dark-stained oak. Above this they are of light plaster. The brick wall at the back, over the vault and the safe deposit room, has a rich band of fire-gilt terra cotta ornament. Gold terra cotta trim also occurs on the tellers' cage at the back, and on the capitals of the square piers carrying large flower-bowls.
The large window of the east wall is of leaded glass, with a ground of marbled yellow and lavender, with central insets in peacock blue and bright green colors. The skylight colors are cream and turquoise blue. The clock over the entrance is set in a glass mosaic field. The suspended lighting fixtures are oak and frosted glass and the circular window of the facade is set in brilliant colors.

Excerpt:  Built in 1914, it is one of a series of small banks designed by Louis Sullivan in the Midwest between 1909 and 1919. All of the banks are built of brick and for this structure he employed various shades of brick,

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

4. Merchants' National Bank (south/front elevation)

ranging in color from blue-black to golden brown, giving it an overall reddish-brown appearance. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its architecture. In 1991, it was listed as a contributing property to the Grinnell Historic Commercial District.

The unveiling of this Louis Sullivan building was given national coverage in the architectural press of the day. The Merchants' Bank was featured in an eleven-page spread in The Western Architect's February 1916 edition. As he did in his banks in Cedar Rapids and Sidney, Ohio, Sullivan used lions, or at least a grotesque, winged version of a lion, as figurative decoration. Some of the plans and even the designs of the ornament were done by Sullivan's draftsman Parker N. Berry, who was shortly thereafter to fall victim to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.

Excerpt: The Merchants National Bank building in Grinnell, Iowa, is one of the eight Midwestern “jewel-box” banks designed by Louis Sullivan, legendary American architect and

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

5. Merchants' National Bank Cartouche & Rose Window

mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright. The phrase “jewel-box” was coined by Sullivan himself to convey the simplicity of the brick structure, which created the impression of a jewelry box while underscoring the security of those items stored inside. But it is not the simplicity of this building that draws visitors from around the world. It is Sullivan’s unparalleled ornamentation – from the awe-inspiring stained-glass windows to the majestic griffins standing guard at the entrance to the geometric/organic explosion of terra-cotta that dominates the façade – that has made the building an international attraction.

The Gems in the Jewel Box:
• Terra-cotta portal, the most recognizable feature of the building
• Spectacular rose window with its maze of geometric and organic shapes
• Monumental stained-glass east windows, 15 feet high by 40 feet wide
• Elaborate glass mosaic around clock, designed by renowned artist Louis Millet
• Organic terra-cotta interior ornament
• Hand-carved wooden check desk
• Pink Tennessee marble floors

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

6. Merchants' National Bank Entrance Portal

Excerpt:  Completed in 1914, this bank was Louis Sullivan's third major "Jewel Box" bank created in the final decade of his life. The building, nearly cubical, suggests security and stability needed in a bank, but the stonework and terra cotta ornamentation modify the austerity of the structure. The center of visual interest is the circular stained-glass window over the entrance. The interior decoration continues the themes of the building's exterior. Additional information is available in the bank, which is now occupied by the Grinnell Visitor Center and Chamber of Commerce.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

7. Merchants' National Bank Entrance

Gilded griffins stand guard on each side of the front entrance.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

8. Merchants National Bank Lobby — South

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 19, 2025

9. Merchants National Bank Lobby — East

These monumental stained-glass windows span the east wall.