State Bank of Wisconsin
| Company type | Bank |
|---|---|
| Industry | Banking |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Founder | Eliphalet Cramer |
| Headquarters | Milwaukee , United States |
The State Bank of Wisconsin is a six-level office structure designed in the Neoclassical style, erected in 1906 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It gained inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
History
After Wisconsin voters approved a referendum in 1852 permitting commercial banks to operate under state charters, the Banking Act of 1852 was subsequently passed. In 1853, Eliphalet Cramer established the State Bank of Wisconsin, followed by Charles D. Nash founding the Bank of Milwaukee in 1855—two among fifteen state-chartered banks located in Milwaukee.
Construction of Cramer's State Bank building commenced in 1856, with probable architectural design by George W. Mygatt and Leonhardt A. Schmidtner. The structure exhibited Italian Renaissance Revival characteristics, featuring a four-story limestone façade sourced near Joliet, Illinois, a wooden frame, corner quoins, a projecting cornice, and a cast iron entablature.
Next door, Nash’s Bank of Milwaukee was built in 1858 and designed by Albert C. Nash in a comparable style but distinguished by window hoods. These two buildings were connected by a shared party wall.
In 1903, the architectural firm Ferry & Clas combined the two buildings into a single edifice. Following a partial collapse in 1956, restoration utilized reclaimed limestone alongside cream-colored brick materials.