The bank Louis Sullivan designed from the inside out

The Peoples Savings Bank in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was designed by Louis Sullivan as the second of a series of small "jewel box" banks in the Midwestern United States. Built in 1911 and finished in 1912, the building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and later included in the West Side Third Avenue SW Commercial Historic District.

Sullivan's initial design was completed in the summer of 1909 but was rejected because it was too expensive. In 1910, bank Vice-President Fred Shaver spearheaded negotiations to reach an agreement. To reduce the cost of the structure, Sullivan cut back on the terra cotta ornamentation and began the design from the large banking room, working outward. Critic Montgomery Schuyler noted that the building was designed from within outward, with the exterior as the simplest expression of the interior.

The exterior bricks were produced in 15 different shades, which Sullivan remarked produced the effect of an antique Oriental rug. Inside, the building includes clerestory walls of glass with murals by Allen Philbrick depicting life in rural Iowa. This project was the last commission George Elmslie assisted Sullivan on before Elmslie joined the firm Purcell, Feick & Elmslie.

The building served as the main Wells Fargo branch for the Cedar Rapids/Marion area until it was impacted by the Iowa flood of 2008. While the main bank is currently closed, the adjacent motor bank is reported as operating. It remains a significant piece of architectural history in Kingston Village.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons