The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-18
Visitors See Entire Building

showered with happy wishes by the visitors
 Visitors See Entire Building
 The officers and directors of the bank acted as reception committee and were evidently very happy over the accomplishment typihed by the bank. The tokens of esteem represented by flowers were extremely numerous ahl were very beautiful. Designs were sent by two score well known business houses and personal friends of the bank. When the doors were opened messenger boN s nocked into the banking rooms with Z telegrams of congratulate that came from many points of the United States on file in MT. Crawford's s private office were a great many letters of eongrat- ulation. The bank will transact busf- ness in the new rooms beginning this morning.
 Description of Bank
 The architects detailed description of the new banking house is as follows:
 The new banking rooms of the Amer ican Trust and Savings bank occupy the entire basement, and first and second floors.
 This portion of the building was spe- cialy featured by the architect William Leslie Walton, to emphasize the part of the building which houses the banking rooms. Both street facades are enriched with pure white South Dover marble, similar to that used in the Tiffany building, New York city, and acknowl- edged to be the finest grade of white marble quarred in the United States.
 The Corinthian inter-eolumnation of the lower stories of the American Trust and Savings bank building. by the great height of it's columns lends distinction and dignity to the building, giving the vertical shaft of twenty stories with basement and two stories of elevator house in roof, twenty-three stories) solid substantial base
 ''rhe fenistration. or the windows and spaces between the columns and piers, are filled with solid metal window frames, fascias and window guards fin ished in dark bronze green. All exterior glass is polished plate. The entire sde- walk is filled with prism vault light glass set in steel and concrete construction, pierced here and there with bronze ven- tiiators and sidewalk area grilles for basement ventilation.
 "On the First avenue side is a special sidewalk lift for storage vaults in the base ment.
 The Dignified Entrance
 "rhe main entrance to the bank is the rounded corner at First avenue and Twelfth street and Is without doubt the most elegant and digniiied bank entrance in the south The classic marble trance is surmounted by d bronze sym chronlzed clock with marble dial and marble outer frame, electrically illumi- mated.
 Bronze skeleton letters of special de- sign, a departure in sign work. occupy the frieze over the door. The marble door opening is filled with a solid bronze grille frame, resembling in design the fa- nous bronze frame in the main entrance to the Panthenon at Rome. with a par ticularly handsome solid bronze lattice grille transom above. and bronze non- slipping safety saddle below. Sliding into pockets on each side of the bronze frame are two bronze grille day gates which will be closed after banking hours
 '"fhe Yestibule is particularly designed for security and to meet the windy con ditions of Brminghams skyscraper cor ners The vestibule walls are lined to ceiling with Botticino marble and the floor is of Mosaic pattern in large slabs of Tennessee marble, The ceiling is en- fiched in plastic relief cornice ornamen- tation, high lighted with gold leaf. Op- enng into the circular vestibule is re- voying door of large proportions, speci- ally fitted with curved wings which can be folded back in summer time to re- ceive screen doors.
 In the Main Banking Room
 'GdSSlIg through tne CiTculdr NeSuDult and revolving door. you enter at once the main banking room, You are im- pressed with the amplitude simplicity and dignity of the arrangement as whole It is free from the highly col ored marbles, grew-gaw grille work and cheap decorations, Sc common to bank ing rooms of several years ago, Here is marble wainscoting and piasters around the cages in the beautiful warm grey Italian, Botticino marble, especially Iected for it's quiet, unobtrusive color, expensive, though not conspicuous,
 ''Ths wall treatment is imported French CaeH stone with white jointings, and covers all wall and ceiling surfaces to the full, dignifid height of this superb room of 27 feet
 "The cages are particularly noticeable for their simplicity. There is no metal work whatever on the side toward the public. What metal work there is, is solid bronze work of simple design, espe- cially designed, telescoping to permit re- moyaI for cleaning the stippled glass ia