Hyde Park–Kenwood National Bank Building
| Hyde Park–Kenwood National Bank Building | |
|---|---|
commuter station on the elevated electric railway was an essential element in the construction of the bank building. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bank |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | K.M. Vitzthum & Co |
The Hyde Park–Kenwood National Bank Building was built in 1928–29 at 1525 East 53rd Street,
Classical Revival style, with some Art Deco ornamentation; it is faced with Bedford stone. The facade and the second floor main banking hall were renovated by Florian Architects under the design direction of Paul Florian in 2005.[1] The building is now a Chicago Landmark.[2][3]
The Hyde Park–Kenwood National Bank, controlled by banker-developer John A. Carroll, was meant to be a pillar of its Chicago neighborhood. Like other bank buildings constructed before the
Constructed for $2 million, this bank building opened only six months before the
Crash of 1929, which permanently affected the U.S. banking business. As a result of the Great Depression, the building's flagship institution, Hyde Park–Kenwood National Bank, closed permanently in June 1932; depositors were eventually paid off in full, but had to wait until World War II for the final payout. However, another chartered bank then occupied the unused financial space, and the 1929 structure continued in use for banking purposes as of 2012.[2][4]
The bank building is built on the historic location of the town hall of the former Hyde Park Township, the municipal government of independent Hyde Park prior to annexation by the city of Chicago in 1889.[2][4]
References
- VMSD(periodical). 15 April 2003. Retrieved 2012-02-24.
- ^ City of Chicago. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
- ^ City of Chicago. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ a b "Preservation bulletins: hot/quick topics". Hyde Park–Kenwood Community Conference. Retrieved 2012-02-18.