Known downtown as The Merc, the Mercantile National Bank Building at 1800 Main Street in Dallas rises 31 stories to a four-sided clock and weather spire. This 31-story, 159.4 m (523 ft) skyscraper was the former home of the Mercantile National Bank, which later became MCorp Bank. Designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager, its Moderne styling springs from the Art Deco era. Notice the building’s series of setbacks, crowned by an ornamental four-sided clock and a decorative weather spire. The Merc was the main element of a four-building complex that eventually spanned a full city block.
Before this tower rose, the site along Ervay Street between Main and Commerce housed the landmark Post Office building constructed in 1889, known for its prominent clock tower and gingerbread architecture; after abandonment, by 1936 it had been declared a liability and was razed. The Mercantile National Bank Building was completed in 1943 and was the only major skyscraper constructed during World War II. The U.S. government had called for a halt of private construction to fuel supply materials. Stand here and feel that layered history — the old post office, the wartime tower, the bank that became MCorp. Notice the ornamental four-sided clock and weather spire crowning the setbacks that once anchored an entire city block.