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U.S. Bank (Henderson Bank)

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Henderson Bank
1929, George W. Kelham. 1979, interior renovation. 401 Railroad St.
  • U.S. Bank (Henderson Bank) (Bret Morgan)

Built for George Wingfield, president of the bank and a major figure in Nevada's early twentieth-century mining and banking industries, this structure was designed to impress the public. At four stories, it is still downtown Elko's tallest building. Constructed of reinforced concrete, with a facade of Boise sandstone and brick, the bank is also notable for a decorative cornice loosely evoking late medieval or early Renaissance motifs. The brick is laid in a repeating-arch pattern that runs around the parapet of the structure. Terra-cotta tiles are used as contrasting elements in the design. Providing another decorative touch are the evenly spaced colored terra-cotta tiles above the round-arched door and window openings of the first floor. The main facade along Railroad Street has a large central entrance marked by two receding arches faced with terra-cotta. Large medallions with stylized foliage flank the central arch.

The interior of the main floor is still largely intact, revealing architectural details and surface finishes in a classical mode. The banking room has high ceilings and tall arched windows with columns forming two rows along the sides of the room. Gray marble covers the walls of the office lobby and the lower portions of the corridor walls throughout the building.

The bank opened in February 1929 to much fanfare, only to fail in 1932. A 1979 renovation consisted mostly of interior work.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Julie Nicoletta
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Citation

Julie Nicoletta, "U.S. Bank (Henderson Bank)", [Elko, Nevada], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/NV-01-NO52.

Print Source

Buildings of Nevada, Julie Nicoletta. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, 154-155.

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