Overton Hygienic Building
Encyclopedia
The Overton Hygienic Building is a Chicago Landmark
and part of the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District
in the Douglas
community area
of Chicago, Illinois
. It is located at 3619-3627 State Street
.
The building was commissioned by Anthony Overton
in 1922 as a combination of a store, office, and manufacturing building. Overton would later commission the Chicago Bee Building
in 1929. It was regarded as one of the most important buildings within the district. The Overton Hygienic Company was one of the nation's largest producers of African-American cosmetics. Anthony Overton also ran other businesses from the building, including the Victory Life Insurance Company and Douglass National Bank, the first nationally chartered, African-American-owned bank. Walter T. Bailey
, the first licensed African-American architect in the state of Illinois
, had his first Chicago office on the second floor of the Overton Hygienic Building.
The building was later named the Palace Hotel and served for some time as a flophouse
, with residents crowded into stalls 8 feet by 5½ feet. The second, third, and fourth floors each housed 125 stalls, with dormitory-style bathrooms and showers, for a total of 375 stalls. The building is now owned and being developed by the Mid-South Planning and Development Commission, which will use the building as an incubator for small businesses and startups within the Black Metropolis neighborhood.
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...
and part of the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District
Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District
Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District or simply Bronzeville is a historic district in the Douglas community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It includes nine structures that were accorded the Chicago Landmark designation on September 9, 1998...
in the Douglas
Douglas, Chicago
Douglas, located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois is one of 77 well-defined Chicago community areas. The neighborhood is named for Stephen A. Douglas, a famous Illinois politician, whose estate included a tract of land given to the federal government...
community area
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
of Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is located at 3619-3627 State Street
State Street (Chicago)
State Street is a large south-north street in Chicago, Illinois, USA and its south suburbs. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west...
.
The building was commissioned by Anthony Overton
Anthony Overton
Anthony Overton , a banker and manufacturer, was the first African-American to lead a major business conglomerate. In 1898 he established Hygienic Manufacturing Company and produced a number of goods, including the nationally-known High Brown Face Powder, which was "the first market success in the...
in 1922 as a combination of a store, office, and manufacturing building. Overton would later commission the Chicago Bee Building
Chicago Bee Building
The Chicago Bee was founded by the African American entrepreneur Anthony Overton in 1926 in what was one of Chicago's African American newspaper buildings. This building was Overton's affirmation of his confidence in the viability of the State Street Commercial district...
in 1929. It was regarded as one of the most important buildings within the district. The Overton Hygienic Company was one of the nation's largest producers of African-American cosmetics. Anthony Overton also ran other businesses from the building, including the Victory Life Insurance Company and Douglass National Bank, the first nationally chartered, African-American-owned bank. Walter T. Bailey
Walter T. Bailey
Walter Thomas Bailey was an African-American architect from Kewanee, Illinois. He was the first African American graduate with a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign...
, the first licensed African-American architect in the state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, had his first Chicago office on the second floor of the Overton Hygienic Building.
The building was later named the Palace Hotel and served for some time as a flophouse
Flophouse
A flophouse , doss-house or dosshouse is a place that offers very cheap lodging, generally by providing only minimal services.-Characteristics:...
, with residents crowded into stalls 8 feet by 5½ feet. The second, third, and fourth floors each housed 125 stalls, with dormitory-style bathrooms and showers, for a total of 375 stalls. The building is now owned and being developed by the Mid-South Planning and Development Commission, which will use the building as an incubator for small businesses and startups within the Black Metropolis neighborhood.