Old Bank of Louisville, Louisville

The Old Bank of Louisville, also known as the Southern National Bank Building, stands on West Main Street in downtown Louisville. Completed in 1837 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971, it is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of small-scale Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Originally built to house the Bank of Louisville—chartered in 1833—the building is now incorporated into the Actors Theatre of Louisville, serving as its entrance and grand lobby space.

The building’s narrow but commanding limestone façade features two fluted Ionic columns set between bold, battered piers in a distyle in antis arrangement—an ancient architectural form rarely seen in American commercial structures. Cast-iron palmette motifs crown the entablature, replacing the conventional pediment with a richly detailed parapet. Though long attributed to Gideon Shryock, who oversaw construction, the design is now firmly credited to James H. Dakin, a young New York architect whose inventive approach combined Grecian ideals with bold reinterpretations, possibly influenced by both Egyptian gateways and contemporary pattern books like The Beauties of Modern Architecture.

Inside, the main banking hall is an equally ambitious space. Ionic columns and pilasters frame a rectangular plan, crowned by an elliptical dome supported on a curving frieze—a creative break from classical norms. The central oculus, originally filled with a sky-painted skylight, evokes the Roman Pantheon and brings natural light into the dramatic interior. Behind the hall, the original layout included vaults, offices, and a rear stairwell. In 1972, architect Harry Weese transformed the structure into part of the Actors Theatre complex, seamlessly blending Dakin’s historic vision with modern performance spaces. Today, the Old Bank remains a striking architectural landmark and a vivid reminder of Louisville’s 19th-century civic ambition.