A great ‘view’ inside the lobby elevators!
The Standard at 509 Market is open for business and a few days ago, we took a look through the property, which started life as the Commercial National Bank. You can tell that it was really something to see, because it still is. The cool factor starts in the lobby which features inlaid marble tile in a Greek ‘key’ pattern and brass elevator doors.
Elevator lobby of The Standard
When Peter Youree was named president of Shreveport’s Commercial National Bank 120+ years ago, he was already a man of action. He had been wounded in the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War, had married, had purchased the Shreveport Water Works and streetcar system, and had served as president of the Caddo Parish Police Jury. What he hadn’t seen was a skyscraper gracing the Shreveport skyline, and that was something he very much wanted. His dream was “to build an office building for Shreveport that could match anything in New Orleans,” historian Eric J. Brock wrote in 1994.
Commercial National Bank in 1911
Old ‘Letter Box’ in the lobby
In 1910, Youree made his 19-year vision a reality when he commissioned the Commercial National Bank building at the corner of Market and Texas streets. Featuring ornate marble and terra cotta accents, Brock noted that the 10-story structure was one of the “major buildings of the South” at that time.
One of the great views from an apartment
Another great view
It was reinforced with steel and cost a then-hefty sum of $500,000 to build. The two-story lobby featured marble flooring, iron railings bordering the mezzanine and elegant brass elevator doors emblazoned with a “CB” monogram. Today, the building’s lobby still maintains those century-old features, yet the rest of the property has undergone a transformation courtesy of ViaNova Development.
‘An Enigma.’ A commissioned work for the building by artist Christine Bailey.
ViaNova has retained the original splendor of the Commercial National Bank building’s lobby during the transformation into a mixed-use property rechristened as “The Standard.” (The ‘Standard’ to which others will be judged.) The new incarnation will feature 86 luxury residential lofts on the upper floors along with amenities including a dog park, adjacent covered parking, the opportunity for on-site office space and a state-of-the-art security system.
The Standard is going to be featured on the July Downtown Artwalk on Wednesday, July 3 from 5-8 p.m. Artists, food trucks and other vendors will be set up and there will be live music and tours of the building. We hope you’ll join us to experience this bold new transformation for yourself!
