original polished cast bronze massive 1914 continental and commercial national bank building bank vault door hinge finial

the continental and commercial national bank is a historic office building located at 208 s. lasalle street in chicago's loop. the 21-story building was built in 1911-14 for the continental and commercial national bank, at the time one of the largest banks in the nation. architect daniel burnham designed the building in the classical revival style; burnham, who was perhaps best known for his 1909 plan of chicago, was a proponent of the style and used it in office buildings in multiple cities. the building's main entrance features a three-story colonnade with eight doric columns; the eighteenth through the twentieth floors feature a matching colonnade, which forms the building's capital. a frieze and belt course separate the fourth and seventeenth floors from the shaft of the building, giving the building a small amount of horizontal emphasis. an open court occupies the center of the building, allowing natural light to reach its interior offices.