The First National Bank is a historic bank building in downtown
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, United States, that is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
(NRHP).
Description
The building is a 3-story commercial building designed by Thomas J. Thomson and
Richard M. Upjohn
Richard Michell Upjohn, FAIA, (March 7, 1828 – March 3, 1903) was an American architect, co-founder and president of the American Institute of Architects.
Early life and career
Upjohn was born on March 7, 1828 in Shaftesbury, Dorsetshire, E ...
and constructed in 1873. Originally four stories, the building lost its top floor to fire in 1875. The building has one of only two cast iron facades in the city, the other visible at the
Z.C.M.I. Building. The First National Bank was added to the NRHP May 24, 1976.
[ With ]
Early history
Construction began on the First National Bank building in 1872 after demolition of the Commerce Building on East Temple Street. East Temple Street was renamed Main Street in 1906. The building featured a cast iron facade that was assembled as quickly as it arrived. Bank president Warren Hussey became the sole owner of the building and the bank in December, 1872. The building opened in September, 1873.
An early description of the building and its ornate decorations was printed in ''
The Daily Graphic
''The Daily Graphic: An Illustrated Evening Newspaper'' was the first American newspaper with daily illustrations. It was founded in New York City in 1873 by Canadian engravers George-Édouard Desbarats and William Leggo, and began publication ...
'':
''The Salt Lake Herald'' offered similar descriptions of the beautiful new building,
[ but its opening coincided with the Panic of 1873, and depositors remained skeptical. Almost immediately the bank suspended payment on checks, citing a lack of currency. Reopening a month later, the bank operated for a year, and it soon received $30,000 in currency. However, the bank closed in November, 1874, and its building became the property of the Walker Brothers. John C. Ball was appointed receiver.
Deseret National Bank opened temporary offices in the building in June, 1875. In November a fire destroyed the top floor and damaged adjacent buildings.]
See also
*
References
External links
{{National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in Salt Lake City
Commercial buildings completed in 1873