Barnes and Thornburg Building

High-rise office building in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Barnes and Thornburg Building
Barnes and Thornburg Building viewed from the northwest.

Former names	Merchants National Bank Building
General information
Type	Offices
Location	11 South Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana
Completed	1912
Height
Roof	245 ft (75 m)
Technical details
Floor count	17

Merchants National Bank and Annex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

39°46′0″N 86°9′29″W / 39.76667°N 86.15806°W / 39.76667; -86.15806
Area	1.8 acres
Built	1907
Architect	D. H. Burnham & Company
Architectural style	Chicago school
NRHP reference No.	82000066^[1]
Added to NRHP	February 19, 1982

The Barnes and Thornburg Building is a high rise in Indianapolis, Indiana originally known as the Merchants National Bank Building. In 1905, the Merchants National Bank and Trust Company engaged the architectural firm of D. H. Burnham & Company of Chicago to design a new bank headquarters on the southeastern corner of the Washington and Meridian streets, the most important intersection in Indianapolis. Initial occupancy of the lower floors took place in 1908,^[2] while the upper floors were not completed until 1912.^[3]

History

Daniel Burnham was one of the architects associated with the Chicago School. He designed the Merchants Bank Building using Louis Sullivan's formula of base, shaft, and capital. The base, consisting of the first floor and mezzanine, is of Indiana limestone. The shaft is of red brick, while the attic floor capital has profuse Classical moldings of terra cotta.^[3]

The 17 floors are used primarily for office space. The building and its annex at 7 E. Washington Street were added to National Register of Historic Places in 1982.^[1] It is located in the Washington Street-Monument Circle Historic District. Its current owner and primary occupant is the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP.

For nearly 70 years, Merchants National Bank and later Merchants National Corporation had used the building as its headquarters from 1908 until the completion of Merchants Plaza in June 1977.^[4]

Most of the first floor was, until 2011, most recently occupied by a Borders Book Store.^[5] It is now occupied by First Financial Bank.

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ "New Home Superb: Bankers Receive Visitors: Public Is Shown Through Elegant New Building of Merchants' National". Indianapolis Star. April 26, 1908. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. For the first time yesterday afternoon the public was allowed to view the completed interior of the new Merchants' National Bank home on South Meridian street.
^ ^a ^b "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved 2016-08-01. Note: This includes Roberson, Samuel A.; Roberson and, Sheryl D. & Williamson, Jr., J. Reid (March 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Merchants National Bank and Annex" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-01. and Accompanying photographs
^ "New Quarters Delight Staff Of Merchants Bank". Indianapolis News. June 7, 1977. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com. Merchants Bank & Trust Co. is in business today at its new home. Bank officers are functioning and tellers are at windows in the main lobby of the bank's new headquarters at One Merchant's Plaza in the heart of the downtown area. The move from its former location at Meridian and Washington was over the weekend, according to John Walls, vice-president, two-thirds of the bank staff moved over the weekend and the remaining, one-third will move next weekend, he reported.
^ "Indianapolis - Downtown". Borders Group. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-07-26.

External links

Media related to Barnes and Thornburg Building at Wikimedia Commons

"Barnes and Thornburg Building". SkyscraperPage.
"Emporis building ID 118618". Emporis. Archived from the original on 2015-05-14.
National Park Service historical article about the former Merchants National Bank Building

Tallest buildings in Indianapolis

Skyscrapers over 500 ft

Salesforce Tower
OneAmerica Tower
Regions Tower

High-rises 400 ft to 499 ft

300 ft to 399 ft

250 ft to 299 ft

200 ft to 249 ft

Barnes and Thornburg Building
Fletcher Trust Building
Indiana Government Center North
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown
One North Pennsylvania
Riley Hospital for Children Simon Family Tower
110 East Washington Street

Other structures over 200 ft

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Lucas Oil Stadium
Scottish Rite Cathedral
Indiana World War Memorial
Old National Centre

Unbuilt

Indiana Tower

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis, Indiana
Districts	Brendonwood Camp Edwin F. Glenn Central Court Chatham–Arch Cottage Home Cumberland Emerson Avenue Addition Fletcher Place Forest Hills Fort Benjamin Harrison (Boundary Increase) Garfield Drive Golden Hill Haughville Herron–Morton Place Holy Rosary–Danish Church Homecroft Indiana Avenue Indianapolis Union Station Wholesale District Irvington Irvington Terrace Laurel and Prospect Lockerbie Square (Boundary Increase) Massachusetts Avenue Meridian Park New Augusta North Meridian Street North Pennsylvania Street Northside North Irvington Gardens Old Northside Oliver Johnson's Woods P.R. Mallory Company Factory Ransom Place Riverside Drive St. Joseph Neighborhood St.Philip Neri Parish Shortridge–Meridian Street Apartments State and Prospect Town of Crows Nest Virginia Avenue Washington Park Washington Street–Monument Circle Watson Park Woodruff Place
Houses	Allison Mansion Anderson–Thompson House Askren House Apple House Bals–Wocher House Bates–Hendricks House Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Benton House Byram–Middleton House Campbell Mansion Cole House & 1925 Cole Brouette No. 70611 Cotton–Ropkey House Flanner House Homes Fletcher House Glossbrenner Mansion Graham House Hanna–Ochler–Elder House Haverstick Farmstead Hill House Hollingsworth House Horner–Terrill House Hubbard House Jamieson–Bennett House Johnson–Denny House Julian–Clark House Kuhn House Levey Mansion Lustron House Mattison House Meier House Millikan House Moore House Morris–Butler House Nicholson–Rand House Oldfields Pierson–Griffiths House The Propylaeum (Schmidt House) Prosser House Recker House Riley House Schnull–Rauch House Sommer House Stewart Mansion Stumpf House Thompson House Tobey-Normington House Tomlinson House Wheeler–Stokely Mansion
Downtown Apartments and Flats	Alameda Alexandra Ambassador Baker Blacherne Burton Cathcart Chadwick Colonial Dartmouth Delaware Court Delaware Flats Devonshire Emelie Glencoe Grover Harriett Lodge Martens Massachusetts Mayleeno McKay Myrtle Fern Oxford Pennsylvania Plaza Rink Savoy Shelton Sid-Mar Spink Sylvania St. Clair Vienna Wil-Fra-Mar Wilson Wyndham
Other Apartments	Balmoral Court The Buckingham Coulter Flats Esplanade Apartments Gaseteria, Inc. The Gramse Linwood Colonial Apartments Lockefield Garden Apartments Manchester Apartments Marcy Village Apartments Pearson Terrace Saint James Court The Seville Vera and the Olga
Lodgings	Aston Inn Heier's Hotel Hotel Washington Marott Hotel Sheffield Inn Spink Arms Hotel YWCA Blue Triangle Residence Hall
Schools and Libraries	Administration Building, Indiana Central University Arthur Jordan Memorial Hall Central Library Crispus Attucks High School East Washington Library Hawthorne Branch Library IPS 13 IPS 33 IPS 36 IPS 58 IPS 66 IPS 82 IPS 84 IPS 97 Indiana School for the Deaf Indiana State Library Riverside Branch Library Old Southport High School Spades Park Library Shortridge High School
Government	Federal Building Indiana Statehouse Indianapolis Fire Headquarters and Municipal Garage Indianapolis Veterans Administration Hospital Old Indianapolis City Hall Old Pathology Building U.S. Arsenal (Arsenal Technical High School) U.S. Courthouse and Post Office
Commercial	Architects and Builders Building L.S. Ayres Annex Warehouse City Market Fame Laundry Fidelity Trust Building Hammond Block Indianapolis News Building Jackson Buildings Kahn Tailoring Company Building Lombard Building Majestic Building Marott's Shoes Building Merchants National Bank and Annex Morrison Block Reserve Loan Life Insurance Company Rink's Womens Apparel Store Selig's Dry Goods Company Building Taylor Carpet Company Building Tee Pee Restaurant Test Building H. P. Wasson and Company Building William Buschmann Block
Industrial	Cole Motor Car Company Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant Gibson Company Building H. Lauter Company Complex Indianapolis Chair Manufacturing Company H. C. S. Motor Car Company Indiana Oxygen Company Stutz Motor Car Company West Washington Street Pumping Station Wheeler–Schebler Carburetor Company
Transportation	Fort Harrison Terminal Station Indianapolis Union Station Marion County Bridge 0501F Michigan Road Toll House P.C.C. & St. L. Railroad Freight Depot Stout Field Administration Building and Hangar
Art and Theater	Circle Theater Foster Hall Indiana Theatre Madam C. J. Walker Building Rivoli Theater
Sport and Recreation	Broad Ripple Park Carousel Bush Stadium Highland Golf and Country Club Butler Fieldhouse Hillcrest Country club Indianapolis Motor Speedway Woodstock Country Club
Religious	Bethel A.M.E. Church Beth-El Zedeck Temple Big Run Baptist Church and Cemetery Christ Church Cathedral Mt. Pisgah Lutheran Church Our Savior Lutheran Church Roberts Park Methodist Episcopal Church St. John's Church and Rectory St. Mary's Catholic Church St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church
Private and Civic Groups	Athenaeum Christamore House Colored Knights of Pythias Castle Hall Columbia Club General German Protestant Orphans Home Independent Turnverein Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs Indianapolis Athletic Club Indianapolis Masonic Temple Maennerchor Building Oriental Lodge No. 500 Scottish Rite Cathedral South Side Turnverein Hall University Club
Outdoor Spaces	Archeological Sites 12Ma648 and 12Ma649 Caleb Blood Smith Historic Site Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill National Cemetery Indiana World War Memorial Plaza Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System McCormick Cabin Site Military Park Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park State Soldiers and Sailors Monument University Park
National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis Entries in italics have been removed from the registry