First National Bank Building
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Chase Bank (First National Bank Building)
1965, MacKie and Kamrath. 303 N. Market St.
Modern architecture was ushered into this small community by one of Houston's most important firms. Karl Fred Kamrath and his partner Frederick James MacKie Jr., both graduates of the University of Texas, established their firm in 1937 and were among the first Houston firms to design modernist buildings. Known as Houston's most ardent proponents of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture, Kamrath met Wright in 1946 and remained devoted to Wright's design ideals throughout his career. The solid cubic block of the bank, with brick pilasters between windows on the second floor, echoes Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. But the low pyramidal roof adds a hint of local vernacular to soften the impact of a large building into the landscape of a small town.
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Location: Brenham, TexasRegional Overviews:Architect:Types:Styles:Materials:
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Citation
Gerald Moorhead et al., "Chase Bank (First National Bank Building)", [Brenham, Texas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/TX-01-PF7.
Print Source
Buildings of Texas: Central, South, and Gulf Coast, Gerald Moorhead and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013, 79-80.
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