Overton Hygienic Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1922-23 at 3619-27 South State Street in Chicago, this four-story building housed the businesses of Anthony Overton, a pioneering black entrepreneur born into slavery in 1865. Overton's enterprises included the Overton Hygienic Company, the Victory Life Insurance Company, the Chicago Bee newspaper, The Half Century Magazine and the Douglass National Bank, the first black bank granted a national charter. Designed by Z. Erol Smith, the reinforced concrete structure is clad in yellow-brown wire-cut brick and white terra-cotta trim. Overton hoped for six stories but a bond campaign fell short, though the elevator shaft extends above the roof to allow for additions. Its second-floor offices were the finest business facilities in Black Metropolis, with tenants including the Theater Owners Booking Association and architect Walter T. Bailey. The Depression-era failure of the bank in 1932 led Overton to leave the building. Today it is vacant apart from its ground-floor stores.
Significance in brief: The building was the headquarters of Anthony Overton's black-oriented financial empire, which included banking, insurance, publishing and cosmetics manufacturing. It was also the first structure in Black Metropolis to offer first-class rental offices to black professionals, making it the district's prime business address.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 86001091, listed April 30, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3619--3627 S. State St., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | April 30, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001091 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Z. Erol Smith, Architect |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Black |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as vacant except for the ground-floor stores; storefronts were altered around 1960, including bricking up the three southern storefronts, though the original openings remain intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.82807, -87.62623 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 86001091.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14688000
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.