Lincoln Tower
116 East Berry Street
This is a stub. More content will be provided someday.
The Lincoln National Bank Tower, also known simply as the Lincoln Tower, is at 116 East Berry Street in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. Construction was begun on the Art-Deco style 22 story, 312' tall building in late 1929, and it was opened to the public in 1930. The architect was Alvin M. Strauss. It was the tallest building in Indiana until 1962; and the tallest in Fort Wayne until 1970.
The 312-foot tower was designed by local architect A.M. Strauss with Cleveland, Ohio, firm Walker & Weeks, and was completed in 1930. It was Indiana's tallest building until 1962, and Fort Wayne's tallest until construction of the present National City Center in 1970. It was acquired and extensively refurbished in 1998 by Tippmann Properties and is home to Tower Bank.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=167679
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=167679
This is the first skyscraper built in the state of Indiana, and is considered a tribute to the area's German heritage. It was commissioned by German immigrant Charles Buesching who was head of the Lincoln Bank and Trust, formerly the German-American Bank of Fort Wayne. It changed its name during the first World War because of anti-German sentiment in the community. It was later bought by Norwest Bank which was purchased by Wells Fargo. Like many other buildings and museums in Fort Wayne, this tower also pays homage to President Abraham Lincoln, and has copper panels at its main entrance depicting scenes from his life. Construction began during the heydays of the late 1920's in the art deco style of the time. In fact, it was started just one month before the stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression. But it was completed anyway in 1930, complete with gold highlights on its 312-foot limestone exterior. Like many skyscrapers in the Midwest and around the Untied States, it was influenced by the architecture of Chicago. Specifically, it was modeled after the Tribune Tower. It was actually the tallest building in the state of Indiana until 1969.
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/378.php
References
This article is a stub and will eventually have more content.