bank research
CONNECTIONS. I love making connections... between persons, places, and things. Two vintage postcards I paid way too much for, but making the connection was very important to me. Same building? Nope. Postcard 1 is the architectural rendering for Provident Federal Savings in Nampa, Idaho. Postcard 2 is of the former Sunnyvale branch of the First National Bank in San Jose, California. Both buildings were constructed in 1962 and went up in 1963. Thankfully both still exist. The key connection? Wenceslaus Sarmiento. Former Head of Design for Bank Building and Equipment Corp. Sarmiento partnered with local project architects on the implementation of the firm's designs. The local architect who was assigned to the Sunnyvale project was Melvin Rojko. My friend Gretchen and I interviewed Mr. Rojko years ago. At the time, he had no recollection of the First National project. Rojko and Sarmiento were very close friends. Ultimately they both left Bank Building and Equipment Corp. and set up their own practices.
bank research
CONNECTIONS. I love making connections... between persons, places, and things. Two vintage postcards I paid way too much for, but making the connection was very important to me. Same building? Nope. Postcard 1 is the architectural rendering for Provident Federal Savings in Nampa, Idaho. Postcard 2 is of the former Sunnyvale branch of the First National Bank in San Jose, California. Both buildings were constructed in 1962 and went up in 1963. Thankfully both still exist. The key connection? Wenceslaus Sarmiento. Former Head of Design for Bank Building and Equipment Corp. Sarmiento partnered with local project architects on the implementation of the firm's designs. The local architect who was assigned to the Sunnyvale project was Melvin Rojko. My friend Gretchen and I interviewed Mr. Rojko years ago. At the time, he had no recollection of the First National project. Rojko and Sarmiento were very close friends. Ultimately they both left Bank Building and Equipment Corp. and set up their own practices.