If you look straight ahead, you’ll spot the Lincoln Bank Tower rising into the sky with its elegant Art Deco crown glowing golden at the top and an American flag waving above the limestone-clad façade.
Now, imagine you’re standing here in the late 1920s, just as the jazz age is hitting its high notes and skyscrapers are the rockstars of city skylines. Out of the ground climbs this colossal structure-1,774 tons of steel, 21,250 cubic feet of cut Indiana limestone, granite, and a dazzling touch of gold highlights-designed by local architect Alvin M. Strauss. Its Art Deco crown catches the evening light just as it did at its grand opening back in November 1930. If the wind blows in just right, you half expect to hear a blast of triumphant trumpets, celebrating its rise.
Now, naming banks after Abraham Lincoln was all the rage, and for good reason. Lincoln National Bank, which originally began life in 1905 as the German American National Bank, rebranded during World War I when “German” wasn’t exactly popular on this side of the Atlantic. They wanted a name that screamed “America!”-and with the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company already thriving down the street and the famed Lincoln Highway running through town, it was a no-brainer. The bank grew, thrived, and soon merged with the Lincoln Trust Company, setting dreams in motion for a cathedral of commerce-the very building you stand before.
Picture bulldozers revving up in August 1929, just two months before the stock market crashed-great timing, huh? But despite the Great Crash, the building rose, every stone a symbol of stubborn optimism. President Charles Buesching, himself a German immigrant, wanted this place not just for banking, but as a monument to the community that built Fort Wayne. Rumor has it that the design tips its hat to the Tribune Tower in Chicago. The city watched as this skyscraper reached for the clouds, ending up as Indiana’s tallest building until 1962 and Fort Wayne’s undisputed giant for decades longer.
Step closer: see the seven bronze panels above the entrance? Those bring scenes from Abraham Lincoln’s storied life to your fingertips. If you walked through those golden doors, you’d find a grand lobby stretching two stories high-85 feet wide, 110 feet long-with murals painted in the glamorous Art Deco style, mixing Greek and Egyptian symbols, marble from Vermont, limestone from Indiana, and even a vintage 1930s soda fountain that still works-so don’t be shy about asking for an old-fashioned float.
This building’s been home to banks that changed names more often than a chameleon at a paint store. It survived foreclosures, sheriff’s sales, historic films, and even a scene in the 1996 indie movie "In the Company of Men." Just imagine actors slinking through the marble corridors as the city’s past and present shimmer in reflection.
Today, Old National Bank works here, keeping the legend alive, beneath that iconic observation tower and flagpole. So, next time you spot that golden-lit crown at dusk, remember you’re gazing at a building that’s survived stock crashes, movie shoots, and more than a few bank mergers-with its head held high, literally!
