Market Street National Bank

Charcoal drawing of Market St. National Bank, 1929

The banking and insurance industries thrived in early Philadelphia after the founding of the United States, and many of today’s national banks started in Philadelphia. This Art Deco building was completed in 1931 as a mixed-use office building funded by Market Street National Bank. The building originally had a restaurant in the basement, retail stores on the ground floor, bank offices on the second floor, and rented office buildings in the remaining 22 floors.

Market St. National Bank Art Deco details, 1933

As the Great Depression closed banks across the country, Market Street National Bank persisted, Leading mergers with multiple failing banks in the 1930’s and 1940’s. In late 1955, Market Street National Bank merged with Tradesmen’s National Bank, another Philadelphia financial institution, founded to make banking possible for lower and middle class Americans. Trademen’s National Bank was later part of multiple mergers that now exist as PNC Bank, headquartered in Pittsburgh with a large presence in Philadelphia.

Bankers moving $50,000 ($1,027,000 in 2024) to the new bank building, 1931

Citations

Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator. Market Street National Bank Building, 1-21 Juniper Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA. 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/pa0989/.

New Bank Building is Rising Rapidly. The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 13, 1930. PNC Bank Legacy Project. https://www.pnc.com/en/about-pnc/company-profile/legacy-project/artifacts/provident-national-bank.html.

Ritter and Shay Architects. Market Street National Bank. Charcoal on board. 1929. Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/im_display.cfm/484188.

Transfer of Funds. Photograph. PNC Bank. Date unknown. https://www.pnc.com/en/about-pnc/company-profile/legacy-project/artifacts/provident-national-bank.html.