Photo: Anthony Overton (b. March 21, 1865 - d. July 2, 1946)
ANTHONY OVERTON
The boy of Anthony together with Martha (Deberry) Overton, Anthony Overton was educated at Washburn College together with would equally good graduate from the University of Kansas where he earned a Bachelor of Laws. He graduated from the University of Kansas constabulary school. He skilful constabulary for a fourth dimension together with fifty-fifty served equally a gauge earlier concentrating on developing his employment organisation operations.
In 1898, Overton established the Hygienic Manufacturing Company inwards Kansas City. In 1911, he moved operations to Chicago where he manufactured baking powder, privy preparations, together with other extract products. He soon launched the High-Brown Products label where he produced a full-line of ladies fine cosmetics together with perfumes inwards Chicago.
OVERTON HYGIENIC BUILDING
Photo: The Overton Building (photograph from Commission on
Chicago Historical together with Architectural Landmarks)
Photo: Overton Hygienic Building inwards Chicago Today
Anthony Overton developed a major employment organisation conglomerate inwards Chicago that began its operations from this Overton Hygienic Building. In 1922, Overton commissioned architect Z. Erol Smith to blueprint together with build the Overton Hygienic Building. In add-on to hygienic assist products, Overton would run the Chicago Bee paper franchise, Victory Life Insurance Company, Douglass National Bank, together with Northern Realty Company from this employment organisation facility together with his minute building, The Chicago Bee Building.
The Overton Hygienic Building was later known inwards history equally the Palace Hotel. The edifice is immediately owned yesteryear the Mid-South Planning together with Development Commission, which announced plans to role the edifice equally an incubator for small-scale businesses inside the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District neighborhood. The Overton Hygienic Building is a Chicago Landmark together with constituent of the historic Bronzeville District inwards the Douglas community surface area of Chicago, Illinois. It is located at 3619-3627 State Street.
THE CHICAGO BEE BUILDING
Photo: The Chicago Bee Building
Photo: The Bee Building, immediately known equally The Bee Branch Library
In 1926, The Chicago Bee paper publishing employment organisation was founded equally ane of Chicago's African American newspapers. Overton affirmed his confidence inwards the viability of the Black Metropolis of Bronzeville Chicago yesteryear commissioning architect Z. Erol Smith ane time again to blueprint a novel three-story edifice to operate his novel paper publishing employment organisation inwards a separate facility equally his query together with development, together with manufacturing operations.
The Chicago Bee Building features a richly ornamented facade executed alone inwards terra cotta. It was ane of the some picturesque of the historic buildings inwards Bronzeville -- at the fourth dimension the only ane designed inwards the Art Deco mode of the belatedly 1920s.
Photo: Librarian Jo Willis poses in forepart of the Art Deco doors of the Chicago Bee Building
Although structure started at the starting fourth dimension of the Great Depression, the edifice was gear upward for occupancy yesteryear 1931. In add-on to the Chicago Bee newspaper, the edifice would identify the offices of the Overton Hygienic Company after the Douglass National Bank unopen inwards 1932. The paper unopen inwards the early on 1940s. The Anthony Overton Elementary School on Chicago's South Side was afterwards named inwards honor of this bang-up African-American businessman.
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