Blasterz had to drive past this building several times, and we STILL don't know what it is. A zinnia flower? A sea creature? A partly-peeled orange? A dandelion? Whatever it is, it is a surprising and wonderful building to see in downtown Casper WY.
Fortunately, Blasterz are not the only ones who think so: (
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"Answer Girl: Architect of dome-shaped bank confirmed
June 21, 2011 12:15 am
By CAROL SEAVEY Star-Tribune staff writer
In my last entry (“The History of the tower peaking over the Casper skyline,” published June 14), I asked if anyone knew the name of the architect of the Wells Fargo bank. Since then, I’ve gotten more than a dozen calls or emails with answers to my query.
The building at 234 E. First St., which originally housed Wyoming National Bank, was designed by Charles Deaton.
“He was one of these dreamer architects out of Denver,” said Donovan Wishart, 80, construction engineer of the project.
Architects Marvin Knedler and J. Robert Bence also worked on the project.
Deaton, who grew up in Clayton, N.M., was a self-taught architect.
His sculptural architecture can be seen throughout the U.S., mostly in commercial buildings such as banks. He also designed the Truman Sports Complex, encompassing Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums in Kansas City, Mo.
His best-known work may be the only residential building he designed: the flying saucer house.
Also known as the mushroom, clamshell, eyeball, spaceship or taco, the house perched on Genesee Mountain west of Denver was constructed from 1963-66.
Deaton is frequently quoted as saying, “People aren’t angular, so why should they live in rectangles?”
One Casper resident who toured the home at the time it was built said that it was absolutely gorgeous. Although, rumors that the entire house rotated were not true.
Deaton had intended to live there with his family, but by the time the construction was complete, he had run out of money and was unable to finish the interior.
Part of Woody Allen’s 1973 comedy “Sleeper” was filmed there. Otherwise, the house stood vacant for nearly 35 years and fell into disrepair.
Deaton finally let it go in 1991. He passed away at the age of 75 in 1996 in Colorado.
About the bank building
While the building may not seem out of place today, the concept of a structure shaped like a rotunda in a blade and dome arrangement was completely new in the early 1960s.
“It was quite unique, because it was never done before,” Wishart said. “It wasn’t typical construction.”
Throughout Casper, people talked about the strange building that was to look like a partially peeled orange.
During construction, Wishart had to have holes put in the plywood safety fence that surrounded the construction site to appease the “sidewalk superintendents.”
“People kind of questioned how they were going to do it,” said Frank Mowery, 81, of Casper, who was a mortgage loan officer at Wyoming National Bank when it was built.
The creation of the blades was painstaking and arduous. The 17 leaves, each 44 feet tall and 21 tons, were cast on site and then arranged into position — an unusual practice at the time.
The rotunda is 86 feet in diameter, with the entire building encompassing 82,000 square feet. (It was about three times the size of the old Wyoming National Bank building in downtown Casper, which now houses apartments and businesses.)
One thing I found interesting was that the square walls on the north and west sides of the building are actually bowed outward to soften the lines.
The new building also featured six drive-up teller booths on the north side of the building where the parking lot is now located. The clamshell-shaped booths housed tellers. Even though one article said that the tellers had “all the comforts and aids available in modern banking,” I wouldn’t want to work in one, even if it did have air conditioning.
A big open house — complete with performances by the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps — was held to introduce the new building to the public on May 3, 1964. (The bank’s 50th anniversary was also celebrated at that time.)
Cora (Miller) Wishart, who was a transient clerk at the bank from 1950-65, was one of the hostesses who lead tours of the building throughout the weekend.
“At that time there were just the two banks [in town],” she said. “Lots of people came and everybody was enjoying the building.”
A special section of the Casper Star-Tribune dedicated to the event also pointed out how pleasing the interior design and décor was to women.
Sources: Casper Star-Tribune special section, “Wyoming National holds grand opening,” published May 3, 1964; “Casper Centennial, 1889 - 1989; Natrona County, Wyoming, 1890 - 1990” by Irving Garbutt and Chuck Morrison, courtesy of Peggy Brooker of the Casper Historic Preservation Commission; 50th Anniversary booklet, by Wyoming National Bank, courtesy of Maggie Miracle."