Additional Information: | Topped with a flat roof, this two-story financial facility consists of a combination of stone and glass and is a result of two periods of construction; the first in 1958 and the second completed in 1968. The easternmost end of the building is a single story and includes a glass, double-door entry and flanking windows that is oriented to the corner of N. Grand & Wisconsin avenues. A stone-sheathed block extends to the north, beyond which a drive-through banking facility is located. The original, vertically oriented and angled signage remains along N. Grand Avenue; however, it now reads “Associated Bank.” The Wisconsin Avenue elevation features a first story of smooth masonry panels topped with a nearly continuous band of narrow windows. Two additional entrances are located at the building’s west end, one beneath the original, south drive-through extension and oriented to the south, with another facing Wisconsin Avenue. A wide band of Lannon stone separates the first and second floors, the latter of which is comprised of a continuous band of metal-framed windows. The second story extends past the first floor and is supported by four concrete columns.
Originally known as Waukesha Savings & Loan, this building achieved its current appearance as of the end of 1968. The financial institution established itself in Waukesha in 1914 and it was previously known as Waukesha Savings Building & Loan. In the fall of 1957, construction began on a new facility at the subject location. Measuring 52’ x 71’ feet, that one-story, twelve-room structure was designed by E. H. Hegner of the Chicago Bank Equipment Company at an approximate cost of $75,000. Ten years later, expansion was necessary which prompted the 17-room, two-story, $250,000 addition to the west. Completed at the end of 1968, John F. Carson of Midwest Bank Builders of Evergreen Park, Illinois, was responsible for its design. The following year, the basement was remodeled for additional office space. Remodeling of the first-floor interior was completed in 1989, at which time the institution was known as First Financial. Alterations were again completed in 2011, by which time First Financial had merged with Associated Bank, the latter name of which it retains today. |