First National Bank
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Wells Fargo Bank (First National Bank)
1926–1927, Uffinger, Foster and Hookwalter with Mowbray and Uffinger. 101 W. Washington St.
The First National Bank is a monumental banking temple in grayish-white Bedford, Indiana, limestone. The Marquette Daily Mining Journal for January 20, 1926, reported that the Beaux-Arts classical design “follows the precedent established by the masters of the classical period modified to meet modern requirements of the banking business and modeled to avoid the commonplace.” Engaged Composite columns and piers support the entablature of the entrance pavilion and flank the bronze doors of the main entrance. Between the columns, round-arched windows pierce the stone walls. Block modillions support the corona under the cornice. The rich and lavish interior displays marble and bronze finishes, metal grilles, ornamental plaster, and harmonious gold and blue decorations. Louis G. Kaufman (1870–1942), bank president, sought the architectural skills of New York City specialists in bank design to create an imposing, dignified, and fireproof building with a big city appearance.
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Location: Marquette, MichiganRegional Overviews:Architect:Styles:
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Citation
Kathryn Bishop Eckert, "Wells Fargo Bank (First National Bank)", [Marquette, Michigan], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MI-01-MQ8.
Print Source
Buildings of Michigan, Kathryn Bishop Eckert. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 508-509.
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