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Old Lowell National Bank
Old Lowell National Bank
ca. 1920
Old Lowell National Bank
before rehab
Building History
The former Old Lowell National Bank was built in the Classical Revival style in the early 1920s. The building is constructed of brick and faced with sandstone on its main façade. Stylistically the structure is representative of a brand of neo-classicism often used to decorate bank facades during the 1920s. Four monolithic Corinthian pilasters, resting on marble bases, divide the main façade into three bays. A fully enframed Renaissance Revival entrance is situated in the center of the wide central bay. A booklet issued upon the bank’s centennial in 1928 after it had been housed in its Prescott Street location for a few years noted that “the floors are of Tennessee marble and the counter of sienna Italian marble, making an interior that harmonizes well with the imposing colonnaded façade facing Prescott and Central Streets.”
The Old Lowell National Bank originally occupied part of the Bank Block building opposite Lowell City Hall on Merrimack Street. The bank was also housed at various times in the Wyman Exchange building on Central Street and the Lowell Institution for Savings building on Shattuck Street before moving to this location in the early 1920s.
The building is an important visual landmark in downtown Lowell. Location, color, and crispness of carving combine to cause this building to stand out from its neighbors.
Preservation and Reuse
The building is on the verge of completing its rehabilitation into residential condominium use and will be linked internally with the adjacent Spaulding Building on Central Street. Suffering considerably from inappropriate late 20th century treatments, the metal canopy with internal electric clock projecting from the center entrance was removed from the building. The rehabilitation included the reconstruction of the original period entrance based upon historic plans found by the Lowell Historic Board at the Massachusetts State Archives.