Henry Adams Building Explained

Land and Loan Office Building
Coordinates:43.0689°N -94.2356°W
Area:less than one acre
Built:1913
Architecture:Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements
Added:March 19, 1998
Refnum:98000250

The Henry Adams Building, also known as the Land and Loan Office Building, is a historic building in Algona, Iowa, United States. It was designed by Louis Sullivan in 1912.

Although it was not designed as a bank, and has never served as such, the building is nonetheless considered one of Sullivan's "Jewel Boxes," a series of banks designed and built in the Midwest between 1909 and 1919.[1] As in the other "Jewel Boxes," Sullivan included many windows, both on the street side and in the skylight that allowed a great deal of natural light inside. The simple massing of this small, rectangular building with its clearly defined structure was typical of Sullivan's later work. The same massing and similar detailing, particularly the entrance, was used by Sullivan's former associates Purcell & Elmslie in their slightly larger Exchange State Bank in Grand Meadow, Minnesota in 1910, and it is possible that this design influenced Sullivan. (Brooks) Sullivan was assisted in the design by his draftsman, Parker Berry, who drew the perspectives.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, under the name of "Land and Loan Office Building." It is currently occupied by the Algona Chamber of Commerce.[2]

Other Louis Sullivan "jewel boxes"

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=98000250}} Land and Loan Office Building]. National Park Service. 2017-11-20. Paul H. Johnson. with
  2. Web site: Louis Sullivan Building. Algona Chamber of Commerce. 2017-11-20.