Mercantile National Bank Building, Streamline Moderne skyscraper in downtown Dallas, United States
The Mercantile National Bank Building is a 31-story skyscraper in the Streamline Moderne style, standing in downtown Dallas, Texas. A four-sided clock tower topped by a spire crowns the building, which today contains residential apartments above and retail spaces at street level.
The building was completed in 1943 and was at that point the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River. It held that position until 1954, when taller towers began to rise in Dallas.
The bank lobby held Art Deco wood murals that were the largest in the world when the building opened in 1943. Robert L. Thornton, the bank's founder, built his own penthouse on the upper floors. The building's nickname, The Merc, comes from the Mercantile National Bank it housed.
The tower is easy to spot from street level and makes a useful reference point when walking around downtown Dallas. The ground-floor retail spaces are open to the public, so stepping inside for a quick look at the lobby is straightforward.
The building went up during World War II thanks to special government permits that allowed the use of prefabricated steel parts despite wartime rationing. That makes it the only large skyscraper to have been built in the United States while the war was still ongoing.
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