Property Record
1 N PINCKNEY ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | American Exchange bank |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 16059 |
| Location (Address): | 1 N PINCKNEY ST |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1871 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1983 |
| Historic Use: | bank/financial institution |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Sandstone |
| Architect: | STEPHEN V. SHIPMAN |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | American Exchange Bank |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 8/18/1980 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Madison Historic Landmark: 9/8/1975. A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. MAP CODE IS 0709-133-3001-8. BUILDING HOUSED THE PARK SAVINGS BANK UNTIL THE AMERICAN EXCHANGE BANK ACQUIRED THE BUILDING IN 1922. IN 1911, SEVEN BAYS WERE ADDED TO THE WASHINGTON STREET FACADE; IN 1946 SEVEN BAYS WERE DEMOLISHED ON THE PICKNEY ST. SIDE. Built in 1871 and attributed to Madison architect Stephen V. Shipman, the Old Park Savings Bank or American Exchange Bank was built on the site of Madison's first hotel, the American House. The American House was the meeting place for the first territorial legislature. The old hotel burned in 1868, and this slender sandstone business block was constructed shortly thereafter. The First National Bank bought the building in 1881 and remained in it until 1922 when it was acquired by the John J. Suhr family's German-American Bank. "Built in 1871, the old American Exchange Bank is one of the last remnants of the large three or more story sandstone blocks that dominated the capitol square from the 1850s to the 1950s. It is located on the site of the old American Hotel, where the first session of the Wisconsin legislature was held. Its architecture, by Stephen V. Shipman, is a fine example of the Italian Renaissance revival, displaying excellent craftsmanship in sandstone. The building originally extended five bays along N. Pinckney Street where the MG&E Energy Center is now. This part was destroyed by fire in the 1940s. The bank building's occupants through the years were pioneer banking establishments which contributed greatly to the growth and development of the community. Opened in 1871, the building housed the Park Savings Bank on the E. Washington Avenue, and two stores on N. Pinckney Street with insurance and other offices above the stores. The First National Bank occupied the building from 1881 to 1922, when the American Exchange Bank moved in. During alterations in 1911, the southeast facade facing East Washington was extended to the east by seven more window bays and the main entrance relocated to the west corner of the building facing Pinckney Street. The decorative elements above the cornice were removed and the frieze below the cornice received a more elaborate treatment." Madison's Pioneer Buildings: A Downtown Walking Tour, 1987. |
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| Bibliographic References: | WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 5/15/1994. Wisconsin Magazine of History, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Vol. 81, #3, Spring 1998. Sandstone and Buffalo Robes: Madison's historic buildings, third edition, 1975. Madison's Pioneer Buildings: A Downtown Walking Tour, 1987. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |