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The First National
Bank Building. UTM: 17
514212E 3898021N This was the
tallest skyscraper in the two Carolinas when it opened in 1926.
The only other high rise edifice in Center City Charlotte that dates
from the 1920s is the
Johnston
Building. The architect of the First National Bank Building
was Charlottean Louis Asbury. In keeping with the era, Asbury
selected the Classical Revival style for this imposing structure.
The structure consists of three essential elements -- an ornamental
base, a shaft, and a pedimented capital. The archway over the
front entrance is decorated with beehives, owls, and other symbols of
thrift and industry. The elevator lobby is lavishly ornamented.
High up on the building are Buddhas, lions, and pharaohs.
The First National Bank Building attests to
the emergence of Charlotte as a major banking center in the first half
of the twentieth century. The president of the First National Bank
was H. M. McAden, a textile executive.
The Charlotte Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank
occupied the top floors of the First National Bank Building when it
opened. |
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