Stone and Gold
Photographs by Edward Burtynsky, Serge Hambourg, James Iska, Len Jenshel, David Miller, John Pfahl, George A. Tice, and Catherine Wagner
John Pfahl. Theatre lobby (original banking hall), Bank of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, September 1987. PH1993:0043
Len Jenshel. Detail, interior entrance, Bank of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, August 1987. PH1993:0036
Len Jenshel. Capitals, main entrance, Bank of Columbus, Columbus, Georgia, August 1987. PH1993:0057
Catherine Wagner. Interior, Wells, Fargo and Co., Columbia, California, June 1987. PH1993:0065
Len Jenshel. Banking hall, Society for Savings, Cleveland, Ohio, July 1988. PH1993:0072
Len Jenshel. Boardroom, Society for Savings, Cleveland, Ohio, August 1988. PH1993:0073
David Miller. Manager’s office, Bank of British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, July 1987. PH1993:0096
Len Jenshel. Banking hall, Bowery Savings Bank, New York City, August 1987. PH1993:0099
Len Jenshel. Cheque-writing table, banking hall, Bowery Savings Bank, New York City, August 1987. PH1993:0101
Serge Hambourg. Banking hall from balcony, National Farmers’ Bank, Owatonna, Minnesota, 1987. PH1993:0122
Serge Hambourg. Terracotta and paint detail, National Farmers’ Bank, Owatonna, Minnesota, 1987. PH1993:0123
Serge Hambourg. Balcony, banking hall, Winona Savings Bank and Winona National Bank, Winona, Minnesota, 1987. PH1993:0127
James Iska. Banking hall, Illinois Merchants Trust Company, Chicago, 12 July 1987. PH1993:0137
Edward Burtynsky. Ceiling, banking hall, Canadian Bank of Commerce, Head Office, Toronto, July 1987. PH1993:0144
Edward Burtynsky. Ceiling and interior details, banking hall, Bank of Montréal, Ottawa, August 1987. PH1993:0151
David Miller. Escalator to banking hall, Market Street entrance, Philadelphia Saving Fund Society, Philadelphia, September 1987. PH1993:0157
George A. Tice. Plaza through banking pavilion windows, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Toronto, between June 1987 and May 1988. PH1993:0174
George A. Tice. Pavilion of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, Toronto, between June 1987 and May 1988. PH1993:0175
Edward Burtynsky. Atrium, banking hall, Royal Bank Plaza, Toronto, 1987. PH1993:0185
John Pfahl. View from addition to original banking hall, East Cambridge Savings Bank, East Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 1988. PH1993:0194
John Pfahl. View from original banking hall to addition, East Cambridge Savings Bank, East Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 1988. PH1993:0195
Edward Burtynsky. Banking hall, Republic Bank Center, Houston, March 1988. PH1993:0198
Edward Burtynsky. Banking hall, Momentum Place, Dallas, March 1988. PH1993:0201
Edward Burtynsky. View of entrance from across walkway, banking hall, M Bank, Momentum Place, Dallas, March 1988. PH1993:0202
The relationship between changing architectural styles and the evolution of banking practice emerged almost immediately as the critical issue [when work began on Money Matters in 1985].…Bankers used new architectural fashions and technological advances to serve their industry’s changing needs—occasionally even setting the pace in innovation. These needs have always been both physical and psychological. Bankers have always relied heavily on architecture to convince people of the stability, security, and solvency of their institutions.
— Susan Wagg, 19911
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“North American Bank Architecture: An Overview,” in Money Matters (Montreal: Canadian Centre for Architecture, 1991), 21. ↩
These photographs were shown in the exhibition Money Matters, which travelled here in 1991. The project originated as a photographic commission by the Parnassus Foundation aiming to generate a comprehensive look at the architecture of banks in North America. The Parnassus Foundation donated a set of prints from the commission to our collection in 1993. Even by that time, many of the names of the banks depicted had changed.
