MASTERPIECEWORK
The Louis Sullivan and George Elmslie
Owatonna Bank
Chicago architect Louis Sullivan designed the National Farmers' Bank in
Owatonna, Minnesota, now owned and operated by Norwest Bank. He is a major
early twentieth-century architect, well known for his design theories and
early skyscrapers. One of his most famous buildings is the 1903 Carson Pirie
and Scott Department Store in Chicago. The bank in Owatonna opened a few
years later, in 1908. It is the most famous small-town bank in the
world; according to St. Paul architectural historian Larry Millett.
Sullivan designed the bank with George Grant Elmslie, who was the chief
draftsman in his office.
Elmslie made the blueprint drawings in the Weisman exhibition. He later
established a practice in Minneapolis, from 1910 to 1912, where he became
a much-admired designer of early twentieth-century Twin-Cities homes.
These works are the actual construction drawings for the bank, selected
from some one hundred surviving construction documents. Until recently,
they were stored in the bank's basement. They show wear from their age and
their hard use during the construction process. Daily they were unfolded,
drawn upon, stained, and marked up. At the end, they were set aside.
The drawings allow a firsthand view of the evolution of the building's ornamentation,
for which Sullivan was famous. Viewing the construction drawings helps museum
visitors to examine the intricate details of this architectural gem and
understand its development.
The exhibition was organized by Claire Cardinal-Pett at Iowa State University.
Funding was provided by Iowa State University, the Graham Foundation for
Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and Norwest Corporation Arts Program.
Support for the Minneapolis presentation was generously provided by the
Colleagues of the Weisman Art Museum.
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