Designed by Joseph & Joseph Architects of Louisville, KY, the Elsby Building was constructed in 1916 on the former site of the 1866 Masonic Temple. A photo below shows the Masonic Temple - a substantial building in its own right - in 1892. Built of concrete, steel, brick, and terra cotta, the Neoclassical-style Elsby Building cost $100,000 and was advertised as being fire-proof. In 1917, the bank occupying the building changed its name from the German-American Bank & Trust Company to the American Bank & Trust Company. This bank failed during the Great Depression, but later received a new charter as the American Bank.