Lincoln Bank Tower
Encyclopedia
The Lincoln Tower in Fort Wayne, Indiana
, United States, is an Art-Deco highrise building. Construction started in late 1929 with the building's opening in 1930. For decades, it was the tallest building in the state. The building was also known as "Lincoln Bank Tower" to distinguish it from the building at 215 Berry Street, which had been known as the "Lincoln Life Building" from 1912 until 1923. Today, that other building is commonly known by the original Elektron Building name.
The choice of Lincoln as a name was fairly appealing, not only was there the thriving insurance company, also founded in 1905, down the street, but people were still excited about the Lincoln Highway
, (the main street of America) that passed through Fort Wayne to be the first coast-to-coast highway in America. In 1928, Lincoln National Bank merged with Lincoln Trust Company (formerly known as Strauss Brothers Commercial Bank) to become Lincoln National Bank and Trust.
Shortly after Lincoln National Bank and Trust was formed, President Charles Buesching commissioned a skyscraper to serve as headquarters for the new bank. Buesching considered it to be a monument to the German immigrants who settled the Fort Wayne area at the turn of the 20th century and formed the backbone of his investors, depositors, and customers. Buesching himself was a German immigrant.
Alvin M. Strauss
of Fort Wayne was architect, while Buesching and Hagerman were contractors for the building. Some design elements were based on the Tribune Tower
in Chicago. Ground was broken on August 16, 1929, for the building, and despite the Great Crash
on October 24, construction continued on the $1.3 million structure.
It was the tallest building of any kind in the state until 1962, and tallest in Fort Wayne until the Fort Wayne National Bank Building (now PNC) was built in 1970.
In 1995, the former Lincoln National Bank and Trust, by then part of Norwest Bank
, moved into new facilities at Norwest City Center. Lincoln Tower was 60% vacant after this move. In 1997, Lincoln Tower was sold at sheriff's sale. There had been a $2 million default
on the mortgage
of a building that originally cost $1.3 million to build. In 1998, Tippmann Properties bought Lincoln Tower, and began to carefully refurbish it. A new bank, calling itself Tower Bank, announced it would open in Lincoln Tower, occupying the lobby and some office space.
In 1996 this building was used for sets in several scenes of In the Company of Men
, a film written and directed by Neil LaBute
. The main bank lobby was used for the final shot. The apartment at the end of the movie was actually the room that is now the deli in the main lobby. Other scenes were filmed in bathrooms and various office spaces throughout the building, including a shot from the roof overlooking the Allen County Courthouse.
panels at the main entrance depict scenes from the life of President Abraham Lincoln
. The building is constructed of 1 774 tons of structural steel, faced with 21 250 cubic feet of cut Indiana limestone
and granite
with gold highlights. It features lead spandrel
panels, a 58-ton terra-cotta crown, and 500 tons of marble. At the top of the building is a slender observation tower topped by a flagpole.
Between the entrance and the lobby, there is a snack shop with the original 1930 soda fountain
still in use. The main banking lobby itself is 85 feet (25.9 m) wide, 110 feet (33.5 m) long, and two stories tall. There are large art deco
murals depicting the industries and the seasons, using elemental symbolism from Greek
and Egyptian
traditions, such as a female form to represent fecundity and the sun
to represent energy. Materials include hand-wrought bronze
, Milford granite
, Italian Travertine
marble
, several rate types of green Vermont marble
, and Indiana limestone
.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, United States, is an Art-Deco highrise building. Construction started in late 1929 with the building's opening in 1930. For decades, it was the tallest building in the state. The building was also known as "Lincoln Bank Tower" to distinguish it from the building at 215 Berry Street, which had been known as the "Lincoln Life Building" from 1912 until 1923. Today, that other building is commonly known by the original Elektron Building name.
History
Lincoln National Bank and Trust was chartered as The German American National Bank in 1905. During World War I, anti-German sentiment was running high and therefore on May 31, 1918, the German American National Bank became Lincoln National Bank.The choice of Lincoln as a name was fairly appealing, not only was there the thriving insurance company, also founded in 1905, down the street, but people were still excited about the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
, (the main street of America) that passed through Fort Wayne to be the first coast-to-coast highway in America. In 1928, Lincoln National Bank merged with Lincoln Trust Company (formerly known as Strauss Brothers Commercial Bank) to become Lincoln National Bank and Trust.
Shortly after Lincoln National Bank and Trust was formed, President Charles Buesching commissioned a skyscraper to serve as headquarters for the new bank. Buesching considered it to be a monument to the German immigrants who settled the Fort Wayne area at the turn of the 20th century and formed the backbone of his investors, depositors, and customers. Buesching himself was a German immigrant.
Alvin M. Strauss
Alvin M. Strauss
Alvin M. Strauss was an Indiana architect and designer of many landmark buildings in Indiana and Ohio during the early twentieth century. He was born in Kendallville, Indiana to German immigrants and later apprenticed under prominent architects in Chicago and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Strauss founded...
of Fort Wayne was architect, while Buesching and Hagerman were contractors for the building. Some design elements were based on the Tribune Tower
Tribune Tower
The Tribune Tower is a neo-Gothic building located at 435 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Company. WGN Radio also broadcasts from the building, with ground-level studios overlooking nearby Pioneer Court and Michigan Avenue. CNN's...
in Chicago. Ground was broken on August 16, 1929, for the building, and despite the Great Crash
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
on October 24, construction continued on the $1.3 million structure.
It was the tallest building of any kind in the state until 1962, and tallest in Fort Wayne until the Fort Wayne National Bank Building (now PNC) was built in 1970.
In 1995, the former Lincoln National Bank and Trust, by then part of Norwest Bank
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
, moved into new facilities at Norwest City Center. Lincoln Tower was 60% vacant after this move. In 1997, Lincoln Tower was sold at sheriff's sale. There had been a $2 million default
Default (finance)
In finance, default occurs when a debtor has not met his or her legal obligations according to the debt contract, e.g. has not made a scheduled payment, or has violated a loan covenant of the debt contract. A default is the failure to pay back a loan. Default may occur if the debtor is either...
on the mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
of a building that originally cost $1.3 million to build. In 1998, Tippmann Properties bought Lincoln Tower, and began to carefully refurbish it. A new bank, calling itself Tower Bank, announced it would open in Lincoln Tower, occupying the lobby and some office space.
In 1996 this building was used for sets in several scenes of In the Company of Men
In the Company of Men
In the Company of Men is a 1997 Canadian/American black comedy written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Aaron Eckhart, Matt Malloy, and Stacy Edwards...
, a film written and directed by Neil LaBute
Neil LaBute
Neil N. LaBute is an American film director, screenwriter and playwright.-Early life:LaBute was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Marian, a hospital receptionist, and Richard LaBute, a long-haul truck driver. LaBute is of French Canadian, English and Irish ancestry, and was raised in Spokane,...
. The main bank lobby was used for the final shot. The apartment at the end of the movie was actually the room that is now the deli in the main lobby. Other scenes were filmed in bathrooms and various office spaces throughout the building, including a shot from the roof overlooking the Allen County Courthouse.
Building details
Seven bronzeBronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
panels at the main entrance depict scenes from the life of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. The building is constructed of 1 774 tons of structural steel, faced with 21 250 cubic feet of cut Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
with gold highlights. It features lead spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
panels, a 58-ton terra-cotta crown, and 500 tons of marble. At the top of the building is a slender observation tower topped by a flagpole.
Between the entrance and the lobby, there is a snack shop with the original 1930 soda fountain
Soda fountain
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores...
still in use. The main banking lobby itself is 85 feet (25.9 m) wide, 110 feet (33.5 m) long, and two stories tall. There are large art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
murals depicting the industries and the seasons, using elemental symbolism from Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
and Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
traditions, such as a female form to represent fecundity and the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
to represent energy. Materials include hand-wrought bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, Milford granite
Milford granite (Massachusetts)
Milford granite is a Proterozoic igneous rock located in and around the town of Milford, Massachusetts, covering an area of approximately 100 sq km, as mapped by the USGS. It is described as a light-gray to pale orange-pink biotite granite. The biotite is typically in clots or short streaks...
, Italian Travertine
Travertine
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, several rate types of green Vermont marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, and Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
.