Description

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Louis H. Sullivan (1856?1924) was a prominent practitioner in the Chicago school of architecture. Recognized as the ?father of the American skyscraper, ? Sullivan believed that ornamentation should arise naturally (or ?organically, ? as Frank Lloyd Wright, who worked for and revered Sullivan, would later say) from the larger design. After creating a number of high-profile big-city structures, Sullivan turned his skills toward small midwestern towns, where he designed several ?jewel box? banks, so called for their compact size, simplicity, and use of stained-glass windows. One of these, Merchants National Bank in Grinnell, Iowa, serves as a shining example of the organic ornamentation characterizing Sullivan's exquisite and functional style.