Manlius
Historical Society
First State Bank
1915-1933
Parker Noble
Berry
Architect
THE FIRST STATE BANK OF MANLIUS
Max P. Siebel organized the First State Bank of Manlius in 1902. The original board of directors consisted of William C. Dale,
President, Max P. Siebel, cashier, P.J. Anderson, Rufus A. Lathrop, and W.S. Rudiger. They officially opened for business
in their first building located on Main Street on June 14, 1902. In 1914 the board sought out the talent of Parker Noble Berry
to design their new facility to be located on Maple Street. His father, John Wesley Berry, contracted and built the building,
which was finished and ready for occupancy in 1915. The First State Bank of Manlius closed its doors in March of 1933 falling
victim to hard economic times during the Great Depression. Even though the bank failed leaving a bad stigma for years, especially
for those who lost money, its fame would come to be associated with its architect and design style.
One cannot talk about the bank without detailing the way in which Berry ingeniously designed it. He worked for the master,
Louis Sullivan, when he accepted this commission on his own time. The building demonstrates how well Berry was able to learn
Sullivan’s technique and adapt it to create his own style. The building consists of two stories constructed out of reddish-brown
paving bricks forming an interesting oriental carpet design. The brick is also embellished with ornamental terra cotta medallions.
In the front stand two brick piers capped each with a self-watering, gold terra cotta urn. To each side of the urns, originally
were two beautifully designed “Prairie style” stained glass windows. The base of the building is recessed consisting
of a wall of glass. Six sections of Luxfer prisms form the tallest part of the wall resting on the front plate glass window
allowing immense amounts of natural light in the interior. If the light hits the main plate glass window just right, the outline
of the First State Bank of Manlius can still be read today.
The interior banking suite is basically unaltered since the bank closed in 1933. The only apparent alternation is the removal
of the teller cages. The vault is massive, and is the focus of the interior extending into the basement. This was a state
of the art vault as it was operated on a time lock, which the bank boasted about. The original paint still adorns the walls
and the beautiful light fixtures still suspend from the ceilings and hang on the walls. In many ways time has stood still
as some of the cancelled checks written upon the bank are tucked away in the corner, ledgers have been left on the shelves
of the vault, and ballots from the 1918 Manlius election are stored in the basement. It has all incredibly been preserved
in this “time capsule”.
In
the years since the bank closed it mainly has been used for storage, leaving the interior undisturbed. In 1975 the building
was recognized for its architectural elements and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many architects
and history buffs have made the pilgrimage to Manlius, over the years, just to peer in the windows. They take pictures of
this Prairie School building designed by Berry.
PARKER NOBLE BERRY
Parker Noble Berry was well on his way to establish himself as one of the most esteemed architects of the Prairie School tradition.
He had just left the office of Louis Sullivan, the man some hail as the “Father of modern Architecture”, after
serving him as chief draftsman for eight years. He had opened his own office in Chicago and was busy working on a new addition
to the Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton, IL, his hometown. Berry died on December 16, 1918 while home for his father-in-law’s
funeral. Berry died from pneumonia at age 30. Perhaps Parker would have been more famous than Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis
Sullivan, had he survived.
Berry was
born September 2, 1888 in Hastings, Nebraska to John and Elvetta Noble Berry. His family lived there briefly and soon returned
to Bureau County, Illinois where they lived previously. Parker’s father and grandfather were both building contractors.
His father also owned and operated a plaining mill in Princeton.
Talent was apparent as early as age 16, when Berry designed his first home on Elm Street in Princeton. In 1906, he graduated
class president and valedictorian of Princeton High School. In the fall of 1907, he attended the University of Illinois until
late 1909, leaving saying he was not learning the new American type of design. He moved to Chicago and became friends with
Kristian Schneider of the American Terra Cotta Co. Schneider, the chief modeler of Louis Sullivan’s ornamental designs,
introduced Berry to Sullivan. Sullivan had a keen eye for talent as he had employed, for a time, Frank Lloyd Wright and George
Grant Elmslie. Berry then became Sullivan’s chief draftsman from 1909 to 1917. Parker became the first applicant in
the state of Illinois to score a perfect exam on his state boards to receive his architect’s license in 1912. The following
year in Chicago, he married Grace Robertson from Buda, IL and never had any children.
The First State Bank of Manlius, Illinois contacted the aspiring architect in 1914 to design their modern facility. Berry,
still employed by Sullivan, accepted this commission on his own time. The bank resembles a similar design of the Algona, Iowa
bank built the previous year. The Algona bank was credited to Sullivan, but Berry obviously had a large hand in it and was
even listed in his obituary as his design. The Manlius bank was constructed the closest to the architect’s original
specifications, as the contractor was his father, John Wesley Berry.
Homer Saylor and Parker Noble
Berry
Berry, designed Iowa
City’s first apartment building in 1916 known as the Summit. The original plans were very ornate and had to be scaled
back to reduce cost. He accepted another local commission in 1917 for the Adeline Prouty Old Ladies Home in Princeton, currently
known as Greenfield. Only the first stage of his design was ever completed as this commission caused the sever in his employment
from Sullivan. During this time, Berry was also involved with the remodeling of the Farmer’s National Bank and the Princeton
Dry Goods Store both on North Main in Princeton. He also worked on commissions in Chicago, most notably the Interstate National
Bank in Hegewisch. Like the Manlius bank, it too failed, and was demolished after the Depression. At the time of his death,
he was working on the Perry Memorial Hospital addition. The project would be completed, but Berry’s original plans would
be altered considerably. To date, the First State Bank of Manlius remains Berry’s only commercial building built true
to his original design, unaltered and intact, making it of considerable significance. The bank’s original line drawing,
as well as some of Berry’s others, were donated to the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent archives by Berry’s
colleague and friend, Homer Saylor.
Directions: From Chicago, take Interstate 55 South to Interstate 80
West. Go North on Route 40 (Approx. 5 miles) and then turn right onto Maple Avenue at Bureau Valley High School and the Manlius
Turn Off.
An original newspaper ad for the bank. Notice how safe your money is in this “State of the
Art Lock Safe”. Perhaps “Running Risks” foreshadowed the bank’s demise.
Today, the
Manlius Historical Society is the proud owner of the First State Bank, a not-for-profit, 501c3 tax exempt organization.
Our goals are:
· To restore and preserve Parker
Noble Berry’s only unaltered commercial building that is left standing.
·
To create a museum to promote this historical landmark and our rich local history.
·
To develop educational programs with this history in mind.
Donations are being taken and memberships are
available for purchase. Please send donations to P.O. Box 134, Manlius, IL 61338-0134
Corporate Sponsor
$1,000.00
Lifetime Member $100.00
Charter Member* (Family) $10.00
Charter Member* (Individual) $5.00
www.manliushistoricalsociety.orgManlius Historical Society
