Home Building Association Bank

The Home Building Association Bank (or Home Building Association Company) is a historic building located at 1 North Third Street in Newark, Ohio, and was designed by noted Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. It was one of three banks designed by Sullivan in 1914, the other two being in Grinnell, Iowa and in West Lafayette, Indiana. For this project the architect was given a narrow lot but made the building larger by making it two stories high, something that he did not typically do in his banks.

The Louis Sullivan Building of Newark has graced the Courthouse Square for over a century at One North Third Street.  It was built in 1914 and opened its doors on August 25, 1915 as The Home Building Association Company, commonly known as “The Old Home”.  One of only eight banks designed by noted American architect Louis Sullivan, it is both a national treasure and a treasured piece of Central Ohio's heritage.  Through the years, the Sullivan Building was also home to a butcher shop, a jewelry store and eventually an ice cream parlor.  With each new tenant the interior was altered, but the building's historic and architectural significance never changed.  In 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2013, the building was generously gifted to the Licking County Foundation by Newark native, Stephen Jones.  Since early 2014, the Licking County Foundation and a team of community volunteers known as Team Sullivan have been working to develop a plan for the Louis Sullivan Building of Newark's restoration and reuse.  The vision has always been to create a valuable space that is financially self-sustaining and open for the public to enjoy, celebrate and study.  Today, the team continues to work with that goal in mind by creating a new home for Explore Licking County.

History

•Built in 1914: One of just eight community banks designed by noted architect Louis Sullivan.

•August 25, 1915: The Home Building Association Company opens its new office at 1 North Third Street.

•1928: The Home Building Association Company joins with Franklin National Bank to become the Union Trust Company.

•1942: Union Trust Company merges with First National Bank.  Sullivan Building sold to William Camlin.

•1943-1946: Sanitary Meat Market occupies the building.

•1946-1973: Symon's Best Jewelry Company occupies the building.

•1973: Building added to the National Register of Historic Places.

•1979-1983: Mutual Federal Savings and Loan Association occupies the building.

•1984-2007: Tiffany's Ice Cream Parlor occupies the building.

•2013: Building donated to the Licking County Foundation by Stephen Jones and preservation planning begins.

The color scheme chosen here deviates from his normal red-brown brick tapestry surface. Instead the building is covered with gray-green terra cotta slabs that are edged with typical Sullivanesque border designs. The ornamentation included a winged lion quite similar to the ones to be found in Cedar Rapids, Grinnell and Sidney. Little mention is made in the literature about Sullivan as to why these creatures populate his banks.

Also unusual is the fact that Sullivan includes his name in the tile mosaic over the front door.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1973.

The building was gifted to the Licking County Foundation in December 2013.  The Licking County Foundation intends to restore the building, and when the renovation is complete, Explore Licking County, the area's convention and visitors bureau, will move into the space.

Giving New Life to "The Old Home"... 

•Early 2014: “Team Sullivan,” a taskforce of local leaders, is formed to provide strategic guidance.

•November 11, 2014: An open house reintroduces the Sullivan Building to the region and potential program partners and donors.

•April 25, 2015: Young Ohio Preservations, a volunteer affiliate of Heritage Ohio, toured the Sullivan Building and designed a charrette around its reuse.

•May 2, 2015: The Granville Studio of Visual Art's adult art students exhibited their work at the Sullivan Building as part of Newark FAMFEST.

•June 5, 2015: The Ohio State University's Knowlton School of Architecture's Camp Architecture high school participants spent the day at the Sullivan Building and also designed a charrette around its reuse.

•August 22, 2015: The centennial observance of Louis Sullivan's Newark jewel box bank is celebrated with programs at the Licking County Library and bank tours.

Planning a New Home for Explore Licking County...

•June – October 2016: Basement rehabilitation is completed.

•November 2016: A master plan and cost estimate are put in place for completing the restoration of the Sullivan Building.

•2017: A capital campaign is launched to raise funds for transforming the building into the home of Explore Licking County - creating a tourism center and a public gathering place with meeting areas, exhibits, retail space and restrooms.

•2018 & Beyond: Restoration will start with the exterior. The final phase will include interior renovations and completion of the adjacent LeFevre Foundation Annex, housing an elevator to make the building accessible to all.

For more information on restoration plans for the Louis Sullivan Building of Newark, visit http://www.thelcfoundation.org/aboutthefoundation/louis-sullivan-building-of-newark/history.html

Images

Other Louis Sullivan "jewel boxes"
Farmers and Merchants Bank, Columbus, Wisconsin (1919)
Henry Adams Building, Algona, Iowa (1913)
Merchants' National Bank, Grinnell, Iowa (1914)
National Farmer's Bank, Owatonna, Minnesota (1908)
People's Federal Savings and Loan Association, Sidney, Ohio (1918)
Peoples Savings Bank, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1912)
Purdue State Bank, West Lafayette, Indiana (1914)

References

Further reading

 Elia, Mario Manieri, Louis Henry Sullivan, Princeton Architectural Press, Princeton NY, 1996
 Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, The Louis Sullivan Pilgrimage, unpublished manuscript
 Morrison, Hugh, "Louis Sullivan: Prophet of Modern Architecture", W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 1963
 Tebben, Joseph R., "The Old Home: Louis Sullivan's Newark Bank", McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Newark OH, 2014
 Twombly, Robert, Louis Sullivan: His Life and Work, Elizabeth Sifton Books - Viking, New York, 1986
 Vinci, John, "The Art Institute of Chicago: The Stock Exchange Trading Room", The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago IL, 1977

Category:Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
Category:Commercial buildings completed in 1914
Category:Louis Sullivan buildings
Category:Newark, Ohio
Category:Buildings and structures in Licking County, Ohio
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Licking County, Ohio
Category:Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio
Category:Art Nouveau architecture in Ohio
Category:Art Nouveau commercial buildings