Design: National Farmer’s Bank of Owatonna
Architect: Louis Sullivan (American, 1856-1924)
Ornamentation: George Grant Elmslie (American, 1869-1952)
Date: 1908
Location: Owatonna, Minnesota
Construction: red brick, green terra cotta, stained glass
Background: Known as the father of modernism and attributed with the conceptualization of the modern skyscraper, Louis Sullivan’s influence on architectural history and the American urban landscape is incalculable. The originator of the term “form follows function,” Sullivan’s numerous buildings blazed trails both in terms of technological innovation and decorative ornamentation. Unlike later architects like Adolf Loos and Walter Gropius, Sullivan didn’t completely disavow the use of decorative elements, but believed that they should be informed by a building’s underlying structure. Built to live harmoniously with human needs and the urban fabric, many of Sullivan’s structures responded to the environment in which they were held. His skyscrapers, for example, featured a three-tiered design
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