The Barnes and Thornburg Building is a

high rise A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdictio ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

originally known as the Merchants National Bank Building. In 1905, the Merchants National Bank and Trust Company engaged the architectural firm of D. H. Burnham & Company of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to design a new bank headquarters on the southeastern corner of the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

streets, the most important intersection in Indianapolis. Initial occupancy of the lower floors took place in 1908, while the upper floors were not completed until 1912. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs

History

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

was one of the architects associated with the Chicago School. He designed the Merchants Bank Building using

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

's formula of base, shaft, and capital. The base, consisting of the first floor and mezzanine, is of

Indiana limestone Indiana limestone — also known as Bedford limestone in the building trade — has long been an economically important building material, particularly for monumental public structures. Indiana limestone is a more common term for Salem Limestone, ...

. The shaft is of red brick, while the attic floor capital has profuse Classical moldings of

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

. The 17 floors are used primarily for office space. The building and its annex at 7 E. Washington Street were added to

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 ...

in 1982. It is located in the

Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Its current owner and primary occupant is the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP. For nearly 70 years, Merchants National Bank and later Merchants National Corporation had used the building as its headquarters from 1908 until the completion of Merchants Plaza in June 1977. Most of the first floor was, until 2011, most recently occupied by a Borders Book Store. It is now occupied by

First Financial Bank First Financial Bank is a regional bank operated by First Financial Corporation and based in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is the oldest national bank in Indiana and the fifth oldest national bank in the United States. First Financial Corporation ...

References

External links

* *
National Park Service historical article about the former Merchants National Bank Building
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Skyscraper office buildings in Indianapolis Headquarters in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis 1912 establishments in Indiana Office buildings completed in 1912 Chicago school architecture in Indiana {{Indianapolis-stub

History

See also

References

External links