McLean County Bank Building
Built: 1854
Architect: Unknown
Style: Italianate (1840-1880)
About Italianate (1840-1880)
Italianate style commercial buildings featured low-pitched roofs, bracketed cornices, round and segmented arched windows with decorative headers, and recessed entrances. Sometimes known as Tuscan, Lombard, Round, or Bracketed, the versatility of this design made it almost a national style in the 1850s.
Address: 102 N. Main Street
Brief History:
1854 - Served as home of the McLean County Bank.
1854-1867 - Top floor of the bank served as the Masonic Hall for Bloomington Masons.
1887-1973 - Building home to various banks, including the Third National Bank, Illinois Savings and Trust, Bloomington Savings and Loans, and the Lincoln Savings and Loan
1994 - Building was restored by Doug and Maggie Williams and architect Harry Riddle after plans to destroy the entire south block fell through in 1989.
Architectural Description:
Three-story Italianate style building made of Milwaukee brick.
1960s renovation temporarily covered the entire facade by aluminum facing and glass.
Windows of the second and third floors are framed in limestone and have arched headers.
Curvilinear shape of building, with its rounded corner, defines it from the surrounding buildings.
Heavy cornice of closely placed dentils and corbelling.