Chicago Bee Building

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

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.