Overton Hygienic Building

Click for Larger View     Address: 3619-27 S. State St.
Year Built: 1922-23
Architect: Z. Erol Smith
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark:
September 9, 1998

Anthony Overton Built by noted entrepreneur Anthony Overton as the headquarters for the Overton Hygienic Company, which was one of the nation's foremost producers of African-American cosmetics. This four-story structure also housed several of Overton's other business ventures, including the Victory Life Insurance Company and Douglass National Bank, the first nationally chartered, African-American-owned bank. Offices on the second floor were rented to area physicians, lawyers, music producers, and architects. It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District.

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Labor & Industry
African-American History
 
1.Exterior View, c.1923
2.Anthony Overton, c.1920
3.Company Advertisement, 1923