LINCOLN OFFICE
The Riggs National Bank
The Lincoln Office, the flagship of the Riggs Banking system, is located on the ground floor of the Fleming Building at 800 17th Street, NW. The Fleming Building, combined with the Glover Building is the corporate headquarters of the Riggs Bank in Washington, D.C.
The existing 1960s Lincoln Office banking hall interior was completely transformed into two 18th-century rooms of Classical Style. All architectural and decorative elements of the design express the sense of dignity, security, stability, and permanence traditionally associated with banking. In the Banking Hall, the baroque sweep of the semicircular tellers windows defines the banking space. Within this strongly defined horizontal curve, the square-headed teller windows alternate with Doric columns, creating a secondary vertical rhythm. The uninterrupted Doric entablature and gracefully coved ceiling contain this rhythm.
Low wood partitions with bronze and glass extensions separate the officer’s stations from the banking hall, achieving a sense of privacy, without enclosing the space. The walls are paneled in quarter sawn white oak as are the low partitions defining each officer’s spaces. The paneling has been painted with several layers of transparent glaze to highlight the natural grain and color of wood. The ceiling coves and plaster ornament have been painted with very pale tints of salmon and blue to complement the curtain fabric, carpet and rich natural finish of the wood furniture.