Introduction

After the depression following the panic of 1893, Adler and Sullivan saw a large drop off in their business, as did most architects.  With almost no new business coming in, the partners had to cut staff and finally felt the financial pressure themselves.  When Adler (who had a family to provide for, unlike the unmarried Sullivan) received an offer from the Crane elevator company to become consulting architect and general sales manager, at a salary that exceeded the amount he had made in any one year as an architect, he felt compelled to accept.  

However, Adler left Crane after only 6 months, and returned to the practice of architecture.  He wanted to reform the firm of Adler and Sullivan, but Sullivan refused. This left Sullivan alone to carry on the work of the firm. But Adler had always handled the business side of the partnership, leaving Sullivan free to concentrate on design. Sullivan did not have the business contacts and temperment for soliciting new commissions, and he found it increasingly difficult to obtain new work.  In the 30 years remaining in his life, he completed only 20 buildings.  With so little work, Sullivan fell into poverty and bitterness. Over time he was compelled to give up his offices in the Auditorium tower, sell his property, and borrow money with little hope of repaying it.

Between 1906 and 1920, Sullivan designed and built 8 banks in small, rural Midwestern cities.  He completed few other projects in this last period of his life, but these banks compare favorably with his finest designs.  Necessarily modest in scale, and often with limited budgets, these banks still exhibit the elaborate decoration and richness of detail seen in Sullivan's most famous works.  With much of Sullivan's other work destroyed, these banks are (for the most part) well preserved and have contributed to the growth of his fame.

The photos on the following pages were taken as we visited these banks between 2002 and 2004, thus they may not reflect the appearance of these buildings today — indeed the Cedar Rapids bank was badly damaged in flood in 2008, and it's condition today is unknown to me.  We hope you enjoy viewing them.