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The First National Bank Building, constructed in 1919, is situated on South Front Street in Rock Springs. The architects, Walter J. Cooper of Salt Lake City and D. D. Spanni of Rock Springs, chose terra cotta to face the building and for architectural ornamentation. This building represents one of the most elaborate use of terra cotta in southwestern Wyoming. The First National Bank Building is significant because it housed the first bank in Rock Springs to open under a state charter. Augustine Kendell arrived in Rock Springs on August 1, 1887, with the intention of establishing a financial institution. The Sweetwater County Bank was opened in a converted butcher shop with Mr. Kendell assuming all bank responsibilities. Within a year business had progressed enough to warrant the conversion of the bank into a National bank under the name of First National Bank of Rock Springs. As the First National Bank grew it became the city's largest banking institution.