Hiding In Plain Sight (2) – South Bay Bank

South Bay Bank, Manhattan Beach, CA – Designed by Craig Ellwood

Designed between 1955 – 56, this would be Ellwood’s first commercial project. This all steel structure consisted of eight inch wide flange columns with concrete blocks infilling. Construction of this earthquake-resistant bank took place between 1957 – 58. The metal grille is made up of standard-size aluminum bars. These were designed to interlock with each other, making welding unnecessary.

The bank adheres to Ellwood’s belief that industrial materials could be used for pleasing architectural design.

Here’s how it looks today: