Union Savings Bank and Trust
Encyclopedia
Union Savings Bank and Trust is located downtown Davenport, Iowa
, United States
, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The building is now known as the Union Arcade. The Schmidt Block
, which is immediately to the east of the Union Arcade, is also listed on the NRHP.
As the bank grew it started to acquire other banks in the city. In the 1920s it merged with Davenport Savings Bank and Scott County Savings Bank and was renamed Union Savings Bank and Trust Company. After the start of the Great Depression
many banks failed or were severely weakened. One of those banks was First National Bank
, which Union Savings Bank and Trust took over before the Bank Holiday
in 1933. The other Davenport banks who survived up to this time included: American Commercial and Savings Bank
, Bechtel Trust Company, Northwest Davenport Savings Bank
, and Home Savings Bank. The bank, however, was not one of the banks to emerge after the Bank Holiday. By the 1960s the banking room on the main floor of the building was converted into retail space. Professional offices occupy the upper floors.
. The main façade of the building fronted Brady Street, with its secondary façade on East Third Street. It is built of limestone and has a limestone foundation. The Classical Revival details are found primarily on the street level façade, which was the part of the building constructed around 1915. When it was built Ionic columns were featured at the street level side on Brady Street. On the north side, the columns become pilasters featuring the Corinthian order
.
The upper floors were constructed nine years after the lower level of the building. It is here that the Chicago Commercial Style is in evidence. The windows are stacked in pairs between the vertical piers and are themselves separated by decorative panels. The top of the building features a heavy cornice
.
Kruse & Parish was the architectural firm that remodeled the building’s storefront to function as the Union Arcade. It is probably at that time that the Ionic columns were removed from the building. A mezzanine level, which provides a transition to the upper levels, was also added at that time.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The building is now known as the Union Arcade. The Schmidt Block
Schmidt Block
The Schmidt Block is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is immediately adjacent to the Union Arcade building, which is also listed on the NRHP.-History :...
, which is immediately to the east of the Union Arcade, is also listed on the NRHP.
History
Union Savings Bank was established in Davenport in 1891. The bank moved to its Brady Street location around the turn of the 20th century. It had previously been the location of Davenport National Bank until Union Savings Bank took it over. The lower level of the present building was completed around 1915 and the upper floors of the building were completed in 1924 according to the designs by Davenport architectural firm Temple & Burrows.As the bank grew it started to acquire other banks in the city. In the 1920s it merged with Davenport Savings Bank and Scott County Savings Bank and was renamed Union Savings Bank and Trust Company. After the start of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
many banks failed or were severely weakened. One of those banks was First National Bank
First National Bank Building (Davenport, Iowa)
The First National Bank Building is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now known as US Bank, the building’s main tenant.-History:...
, which Union Savings Bank and Trust took over before the Bank Holiday
Emergency Banking Act
The Emergency Banking Act was an act of the United States Congress spearheaded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. It was passed on March 9, 1933...
in 1933. The other Davenport banks who survived up to this time included: American Commercial and Savings Bank
American Commercial and Savings Bank
American Commercial and Savings Bank is located at 201-209 Main Street, Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is known locally as the Wells Fargo Bank building.-History:...
, Bechtel Trust Company, Northwest Davenport Savings Bank
Northwest Davenport Savings Bank
Northwest Davenport Savings Bank is located in the old northwest section of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. It is located near the Northwest Davenport Turner Society Hall, which is also listed on the...
, and Home Savings Bank. The bank, however, was not one of the banks to emerge after the Bank Holiday. By the 1960s the banking room on the main floor of the building was converted into retail space. Professional offices occupy the upper floors.
Architecture
The building is a seven-story, L-shaped structure designed in the Classical Revival and the emerging Chicago Commercial StyleChicago school (architecture)
Chicago's architecture is famous throughout the world and one style is referred to as the Chicago School. The style is also known as Commercial style. In the history of architecture, the Chicago School was a school of architects active in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century...
. The main façade of the building fronted Brady Street, with its secondary façade on East Third Street. It is built of limestone and has a limestone foundation. The Classical Revival details are found primarily on the street level façade, which was the part of the building constructed around 1915. When it was built Ionic columns were featured at the street level side on Brady Street. On the north side, the columns become pilasters featuring the Corinthian order
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
.
The upper floors were constructed nine years after the lower level of the building. It is here that the Chicago Commercial Style is in evidence. The windows are stacked in pairs between the vertical piers and are themselves separated by decorative panels. The top of the building features a heavy cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
.
Kruse & Parish was the architectural firm that remodeled the building’s storefront to function as the Union Arcade. It is probably at that time that the Ionic columns were removed from the building. A mezzanine level, which provides a transition to the upper levels, was also added at that time.