First National Bank - Telluride, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 37° 56.247 W 107° 48.708
13S E 252897 N 4202604
First National Bank in Telluride Colorado, built by the man who fathered alternating current electricity.
Waymark Code: WM87G0
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2010
Views: 5
The Plaque reads:
OUR FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING
The First National Bank Building, home of the Nugget Theater since 1935, occupies a prominent role in Telluride's history. The building was completed in 1892 by Lucien Lucius Nunn, the father of alternating current. Nunn commissioned well-known Denver architect James Murdoch to work on the design of the building-a building that would house the First National Bank, as well as the Telluride Power Company.
L.L. Nunn purchased the land for $1,800 and began construction of the native red sandstone building in 1891. The building is a fine representation of the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture which typically included rugged stone masonry, large arches, and imaginative towers.
Some of the architectural features of this building include a tower with a pyramidal roof that stood higher than the Courthouse tower, semi--circular sandstone arches surrounding the second story windows, polished imported red granite columns at the corner entryway and stained glass windows that flank the northeast corner doors. In the large corner portion of the building you can see the original vault complete with a time lock as well as the bank's original tin ceiling. Inside the Colorado Avenue entry, the original grand staircase leading to the second floor still exists.
In 2000, the building received the coveted Save America's Treasures grant. The federal Save America's Treasures grants are administered by the National Park Service, and allocate money only to nationally significant historic structures and sites. For the year 2000, the grant was one of forty seven issued nationwide and the only grant issued to the state of Colorado, verifying the national historic significance of this building.
Town of Telluride; Telluride Historic Museum; Colorado Historical Society State Historical Fund
Group or Groups Responsible for Placement:
National Park Service; Town of Telluride; Telluride Historic Museum; Colorado Historical Society State Historical Fund
County or City: Telluride
Date Dedicated: 2000
Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed
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