Chamber of Commerce

The Grinnell Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau is located inside the old Merchants National Bank building, one of Louis Sullivan’s «Jewel Box» bank designs.
Louis Sullivan was the father of the modern skyscraper, being one of the very first architects to embrace steel framing and to design buildings that took advantage of that framing technique. Some of the most beautiful buildings in Chicago came from the fertile mind of Louis Sullivan. In the twilight of his career, Sullivan designed several small office buildings and a department store in Clinton, Iowa.
His farewell gift to architecture was comprised of eight bank buildings commissioned from around the Midwest. He dubbed the designs «Jewel Boxes» for their simple but strong external appearance, with the security shown for the gems locked firmly inside.
This gem is the pride of Grinnell, and rightfully so. If you’re in the area, stop in and visit. The center is open weekdays and usually on weekends. The staff is friendly and wants you to enjoy your visit to Poweshiek County. By the way, enjoy the building — it’s worth the effort to see it!