Laramie State Bank Building

“Incorporated in 1877, it had become the nation's largest company of its kind by 1927. It was by far the most technologically advanced of the terra cotta firms, developing new moulding and firing techniques that allowed for more intricate and cost-effective sculpture.”

“By the 1920s, Chicago's terra cotta industry had five decades of growth in both size and sophistication. By 1927, Northwestern Terra Cotta had become the nation's largest and most technologically advanced producer of terra cotta.”

“One can only speculate, but Northwestern Terra Cotta's great salesmanship and collaboration with architects may be the most significant factor in giving the Laramie State Bank Building its unique and historic character for the Austin neighborhood.”

“These two movements complemented each other and the Chicago-based Northwestern Terra Cotta Company was quick to take advantage. Building on their national reputation for terra cotta manufacturing, they developed designs which epitomize visually the fantastic qualities of the jazz age.”

“The names of the skilled modelers of the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company that sculpted ornament for Chicago's architectural terra cotta industry have largely been forgotten, but their talents live on in the wealth of finely detailed terra-cotta clad buildings that survive across the country.”

“A review of the work of the building's architects, Meyer and Cook, also does not solve the mystery. Commercial innovation was not part of its design legacy. The firm, whose offices during this period were at 820 N. Michigan Ave.”

“With the addition, the bank would cover the full parcel. By doing so, the new building would command a prominent corner with major facades along both Chicago and Laramie avenues.”

“Its stylized designs, both figurative and floral, were immediately comprehensible and appealing to a large, general public. By combining these images with architecture, buildings became useful tools in attracting the public's attention.”

“Northwestern Terra Cotta was always looking for new product lines and designs to enhance its business. When the 1925 Paris Exposition gave the world a new decorative style, Art Deco, Northwestern also saw a commercial opportunity.”

“Suddenly, architectural firms with little experience with decorative styles were producing highly ornamented Art Deco buildings. McNally and Quinn's (1928) Fullerton Parkway Tower apartments at Clark and Fullerton and M. Louis Kroman's (1929-32) Hyde Park Chevrolet showroom at Lake Park and 55th are excellent examples of buildings in which the Art Deco modelers from Northwestern Terra Cotta took the lead in developing the facade designs.”