1905-1920: This was a period of great development on these blocks. The planned opening of a new concrete Third Avenue bridge over the Cedar River in 1911-1912 prompted a flurry of new building construction. West side businesses felt strongly about creating their own west side commercial center separate from the primary downtown retail center on the east side of the river. First and most important of these was the construction of the new Peoples Savings Bank Building in 1910-1911.
Peoples Bank was designed by famous architect Louis Sullivan. This was meant to be an anchor facility for the west side commercial center.
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