Old Second National Bank
National Register of Historic Places

Old Second National Bank

Aurora, Kane County, Illinois
Listed
May 7, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Colonial
Ref No.
79000840

About this property

The Old Second National Bank of Aurora is a historic building in Aurora, Illinois. It was designed in the Prairie School style by George Grant Elmslie, and was one of his last commissions. The Old Second National Bank of Aurora was designed by George Grant Elmslie in 1924. The Prairie School style of design was, at this point, already a fading trend. Elmslie was nearing the end of his career and began to accept commissions for commercial buildings. Elmslie recruited sculptor Emil Settler, muralist John W. Norton, and sculptor Kristian Schneider to assist him with the design. The bank building was a departure from previous Elmslie designs. Instead of focusing on horizontal patterns, this building attempted to integrate vertical patterns into a Prairie School design. The bank is built with Roman brick on a pink granite foundation. The building is topped with a saddleback roof with red tile. Ten brick columns rise from the foundation to the roof. Only the south side of the building features exterior details and ornaments. The narrow cornice is terra cotta and follows the gable. John Norton painted a three-panel mural of 1830s Aurora on the north side of the building's interior. A red tile floor was intended to resemble a large oriental rug. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1979.

Location

37 S. River St.
Aurora, Kane County, Illinois
41.75790, -88.31843

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Fox River House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Stolp Woolen Mill Store
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hobbs Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Stolp Island Historic District
Modern
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Langford Tradition Conflicts
1350Pre-Columbian
6.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Old Second National Bank listed on the National Register?

Old Second National Bank was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Old Second National Bank?

Old Second National Bank is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Old Second National Bank?

The period of significance for Old Second National Bank is recorded as the colonial era.

Can I research the history near Old Second National Bank?

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