The Continental and Commercial National Bank is a historic office building located at 208 S. LaSalle Street in Chicago's Loop. The 21-story building was built in 1911-14 for the Continental and Commercial National Bank, at the time one of the largest banks in the nation. Architect Daniel Burnham designed the building in the Classical Revival style; Burnham, who was perhaps best known for his 1909 plan of Chicago, was a proponent of the style and used it in office buildings in multiple cities. The building's main entrance features a three-story colonnade with eight Doric columns; the eighteenth through the twentieth floors feature a matching colonnade, which forms the building's capital. A frieze and belt course separate the fourth and seventeenth floors from the shaft of the building, giving the building a small amount of horizontal emphasis. An open court occupies the center of the building, allowing natural light to reach its interior offices.[2]
Continental and Commercial National Bank | |
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| Location | 208 S. LaSalle St., Chicago, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 41°52′45″N 87°37′56″W / 41.87917°N 87.63222°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1911-14 |
| Built by | Graham, Anderson, Probst and White |
| Architect | D.H. Burnham and Company |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000064[1] |
| Added to NRHP | February 14, 2007 |
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 14, 2007.[1]
Prior to merging with the Continental National Bank to form the Continental and Commercial Nation Bank, the Commercial National Bank was previously located in the now landmark Commercial National Bank Building.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Tess, John M. (July 6, 2006). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Continental and Commercial National Bank" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- ^ Commission on Chicago Landmarks (April 7, 2016). Landmark Designation Report: Commercial National Bank Building (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
After just three years in its new building, the Commercial National Bank merged with Continental National Bank to create the Continental & Commercial National Bank...In 1912, Continental & Commercial National Bank began plans for a new headquarters building at 208 South LaSalle Street...Commercial National Bank would remain in the building until the completion of the new Continental & Commercial National Bank Building in 1914.