A tiny bank wrapped entirely in glazed, patterned terracotta: Sullivan at small scale.
At a glance
The Home Building Association Bank in Newark, Ohio, completed in 1914, is one of the smallest and most richly clad of Louis Sullivan’s late banks. Where the others mix brick and ornament, this one is sheathed almost entirely in glazed terracotta, patterned across every surface. It has served many uses since, from bank to jewellery shop to restaurant.
Key facts
- Location: West Main Street and North 3rd Street, Newark, Ohio
- Architect: Louis Sullivan
- Built: 1914
- Feature: almost entirely clad in glazed terracotta
- Style: Sullivanesque (American Art Nouveau ornament)
History
Newark’s building-and-loan association wanted a small but memorable office on the town square, and Sullivan gave it one of his most lavish small designs. The whole surface became a canvas for his terracotta ornament.
Too small to stay a bank, it passed through a string of owners and uses over the years, and was restored as a landmark of the jewel-box series. It stands on the square at the heart of Newark.
What you see
The little building is faced in cream and coloured terracotta from base to cornice, every panel patterned, with Sullivan’s foliage and geometric patterns around the openings and cornice. It is ornament taken to the limit on a building you could almost miss, the late Sullivan’s delight in detail made whole.
Practical information
- Open: in commercial use; exterior viewable any time
- Cost: free to view from the square
- Best for: the all-over glazed terracotta ornament
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes
Getting there
The building is on the courthouse square in downtown Newark, in central Ohio, east of Columbus.
Nearby
- Licking County Courthouse — the grand courthouse on the square
- The Works — the local history and arts museum nearby
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica / Wikipedia — Home Building Association Company
- National Park Service — National Historic Landmark record
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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