Chicago Landmarks
 

Chicago Bee Building

Exterior View, 1999     Address: 3647-55 S. State St.
Year Built: 1929 - 1931
Architect: Z. Erol Smith
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: September 9, 1998

Anthony Overton This Art Deco-style building was constructed as the headquarters for the Chicago Bee newspaper, which was founded by noted African-American entrepreneur Anthony Overton. It originally featured upper-floor apartments and, during the 1930's, housed the offices of the Douglass National Bank and the Overton Hygienic Company, a nationally known cosmetics firm. The newspaper went out of business in the 1940s, although Overton Hygienic continued until the early 1980s. In the mid-1990's, the building was adapted for reuse as a branch of the Chicago Public Library. It is one of nine structures in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville Historic District.