This is a sectional picture looks at the building cornice, the horizontal molding along the top of the building. For the Owatonna bank, full-size ornamental details, like this cornice detail, are the rule, not the exception, in contrast to the normal practice of the time. This images also contains a large terra-cotta cartouche found in the four upper corner's of the bank's exterior.
Ornamentation of the building's exterior was used to draw customers into the bank. The bank president at the time of construction, Carl Bennett, wanted a building that would convey a sense of beauty and invulnerable strength so that customers would feel a sense of pride and feel comfortable about depositing their money. Sullivan took this design need into consideration when using details such as the large terra-cotta cartouches.
