Ness County Bank Building

Ness County Bank Building

Ness City, Kansas, U.S.

Begun: 1888

Completed: 1890

Architect: J. C. Holland

The Victorian Era

38.45420079362418, -99.90523563051852

Limestone

85 x 55 feet

Commercial

Richardsonian Romanesque

The layout of the structure is seemingly quadratic in its form. Its seemingly rectangular base connects to a smaller square, looking from the front angle of the bank. The structure is a three-level building, with an additional raised basement level. It is also worth noting that the structure is considered to be towering due to the context of its location. In Ness, the buildings are typically one-story. It appears that there are a few entrance ways into the structure. There is a two-way pillar that meets at the edge of the front-side of the structure. In addition to these main entrances, there are a barrage of windows. On the side that connects to the smaller square of the structure, there are only two large windows. The structure does have notable additions to its form near the top of the structure. On the side of the two-way opening, there is a brown triangular pyramid topped with the flag of the U.S. There are also cylindrical posts on the top that are seen over the top of the structure. Its patterns are quite interesting given that its style is that of Richardsonian Romanesque. Here we get these arch patterns on multiple sets or standalone windows throughout the mostly tan structure. Indoors we have several spaces for rental spaces for small businesses, firms and to house the bank itself as intended from the designs from the architect. It is the first building that the style used, as the area designed most of the courtly buildings, following the structure, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Its main material is Limestone as its outside walls are greatly made up of this medium. There was renovation done on the structure, with the exception of the roof, over the years as its usage has changed. Ultimately, the structure still stands as one of the most important buildings of the early settlement of the midwest in the U.S. Though it has seen its share of change, its legacy is still prominent.

Image 1: Ness_County_Bank
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Ness_County_Bank.jpg

Image 2: Ness_County_Bank_Entrance
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Ness_County_Bank_Entrance.jpg

Image 1: Creative Commons

Image 2: Creative Commons

Julian Forster

David Sachs, George Erlich, "Ness County Bank Building", [Ness City, Kansas], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/KS-01-135-0028.

researching any photographic sources (plans in particular) for this building is quite difficult