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Washington Park National Bank
Address: 6300 S. Cottage Grove
Architect: Albert Schwartz
Date: 1924
Style: Neoclassical
Neighborhood: West Woodlawn
OVERVIEW
The four-story Washington Park National Bank building was designed by architect Albert Schwartz in 1924 as part of an expansion and relocation of the bank to a more prominent corner site. The building’s primary elevations were constructed of Indiana limestone with ornate carved Corinthian-order capitals and pilasters.
This is the second time the Washington Park National Bank building has appeared on Preservation Chicago’s 7 Most Endangered List, first in 2018 and again in 2020. The building was also listed in 2019 as one of the Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois by our statewide preservation partner, Landmarks Illinois.
Following a community engagement process conducted by the Cook County Land Bank Authority and the Metropolitan Planning Council, it became clear that the Woodlawn community desired the long- vacant building to be restored and adaptively reused. Vacant land is prevalent throughout Woodlawn, and it is disappointing to the community and preservation advocates that the decision was made to demolish a viable historic building in favor of new construction.
HISTORY
In 1924 as part of an expansion and relocation, the Washington Park National Bank moved to the prominent corner of 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. Architect Albert Schwartz designed the neoclassical, dressed-limestone building with the bank entrance on the Cottage Grove facade and retail shops along 63rd Street. An impressive, marble-clad, two-story banking hall with skylight and mezzanine was located on the second floor of the building and was perhaps the finest commercial interior space in Woodlawn.
The imposing four-story limestone and reinforced-concrete structure’s name referenced the nearby historic Olmsted & Vaux-designed Washington Park. The bank building’s name was also a reference to the much-celebrated Washington Park Race Track. Built in 1884, the horse racing track was located a couple blocks away at 61st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue and hosted the prestigious American Derby. The only surviving race track buildings are the Round House Stable by Burnham & Root built in 1880 which was beautifully restored by the DuSable Museum, and a grouping of adjacent auxiliary buildings along Payne Drive in Washington Park which have fallen into extreme disrepair.
In addition to the banking operations, the Washington Park National Bank building included retail storefronts on the ground level with offices on the upper floors of the building. The bank’s advertising slogan, “As strong as the everlasting hills,” appeared in advertisements in the Chicago Tribune in 1931. Unfortunately, Washington Park
National Bank closed on June 8, 1931 and was reported to be reopened as Park National Bank & Trust. A 1952 Chicago Tribune advertisement hailed the Washington Park National Bank as “South Side’s finest office building.” In 1951, the Chicago Tribune reported that “Louis Alpern, former Kentucky distiller,” bought the building for $355,000. The article noted that the building “changed hands twice in 1944 – first for $125,000 and later for
$210,000.” Ironically in 2020, the building is in process of being sold to a developer for $250,000.
The 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue district was a prominent center of the South Side and once contained many great entertainment venues, hotels, ballrooms, theaters and movie palaces including the Tivoli Theater, which stood across the street from the Washington Park National Bank. The two-story Renaissance Revival Cinderella Ballroom was constructed by Frank Loeffler in 1923 and was recently restored as the Grand Ballroom. It was adjacent to the now demolished Tivoli Theater.
The racial make-up of Woodlawn gradually shifted to an African-American community beginning in the 1940s, and the neighborhood flourished into the 1950s as a prominent location for Jazz Age clubs and a wide range of entertainment and shopping offerings. The area experienced disinvestment and extensive demolition in the decades that followed. However, in recent years there has been substantial renewed interest in the Woodlawn community, including its historic commercial core near the Washington Park National Bank. Woodlawn has many connections to the Civil Rights Era. Emmett Till’s home and school are located in Woodlawn and several prominent African- American organizations and movements were headquartered in the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s.
Through the Ages, October 1925, Vol 3, No. 6, National Association of Marble Dealers, page 12
Through the Ages, October 1925, Vol 3, No. 6, National Association of Marble Dealers, page 13
Through the Ages, October 1925, Vol 3, No. 6, National Association of Marble Dealers, page 16
A Structural Assessment Report of the Washington Park National Bank building was completed by Probe Consulting Services as part of the request for proposal process in August 2018. The report recognized that the building is littered with construction debris from decades of neglect, however it concluded that “that the existing framing system of the building is structurally sound, intact, and still in good condition and that the building is salvageable and can be repaired to restore its full structural integrity.”
THREAT
Located adjacent to the 63rd Street CTA-Green Line elevated train station and terminal at Cottage Grove Avenue, the Washington Park National Bank building has anchored this prominent corner in the Woodlawn community for nearly a century. Under the leadership of the Rev. Leon Finney, Jr., the Woodlawn Community Development Corporation owned the property for decades. During this period the building was mostly vacant with no apparent general or on-going maintenance, renovation, construction, or redevelopment work evident on the bank building. The condition continued to deteriorate, and the building is now open to the elements.
The Washington Park National Bank building languished due to ownership which was unwilling or unable to restore or even properly maintain the structure. However, during the same period, other prominent historic buildings in the immediate area have been successfully restored and reopened, specifically the nearby Strand Hotel and the Grand Ballroom, originally known as the Cinderella Ballroom, located across the street.
When the Cook County Land Bank Authority took control of the property in 2016, they cleared over 20 years of back tax debt estimated at $3.7 million. They conducted a community engagement process and issued a request for proposals. Two of the three submitted development proposals included adaptive reuse. However, the decision was made to award the project to DL3 Realty, which proposed demolition and new construction.
Newly elected 20th Ward Alderman Jeanette Taylor has expressed opposition to demolishing the Washington Park National Bank building. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Taylor said, “It’s unfair that communities on the South Side do not get to preserve historic buildings like they do on the North Side.” (Ballesteros, Chicago Sun- Times, 3/31/19)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago stands united with members of the Woodlawn and West Woodlawn communities in urging DL3 Realty to change its plans from demolition to adaptive reuse. The Washington Park National Bank building should be protected and we encourage a creative, community-oriented, preservation-sensitive redevelopment of the historic structure and its two elegant limestone facades.
The architectural and design firm of CallisonRTKL prepared renderings for Preservation Chicago which envision an adaptive reuse of the original four floors of the historic building, along with a two-story new addition atop the building to accommodate additional square footage. This scenario achieves comparable square footage to DL3’s design while retaining the historic facades of this important community asset. The renderings indicate 69,492 square feet of gross floor area and 59,555 square feet of leasable area. An experienced contractor familiar with adaptive reuse projects estimated the costs for both this alternative reuse proposal and new construction development to be in the range of $15 to $18 million.
The City of Chicago and elected officials should consider a designation of the building as a Chicago Landmark to enable access to additional incentives. If the building were to become a Chicago Landmark, it could be eligible for permit fee waivers, “Class L” tax incentives, and competitive Adopt-a-Landmark funds. The Illinois State Historic Preservation Office determined in March 2018 the Washington Park National Bank building is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, which creates opportunities for federal and state historic tax credits.
The Strand Hotel is a successful model for the transformation of a neglected historic building into a viable use. Holsten Development successfully converted the former Strand Hotel, located directly across the street from the Washington Park National Bank building, into a 44-unit residential building.
In recent years, Theaster Gates and the Rebuild Foundation transformed a long-vacant, endangered, historic bank building in Woodlawn into the highly successful, widely visible Stony Island Arts Bank. Other developers have recently creatively transformed the Old Main Post Office in downtown Chicago and the old Cook County Hospital into desirable adaptive reuse projects.
We are confident that DL3 Realty can reach a workable solution that avoids the destruction of this historic building and further diminishing the built environment of the Woodlawn community. Both profit and progress can be achieved through the restoration of this historic building to a greater degree than through demolition and new construction, especially when the cultural, historical and environmental impacts are considered.
Significant numbers of vacant land parcels exist adjacent to the Washington Park National Bank building, along 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue and on other nearby streets that would be ideal for new construction infill development. Washington Park National Bank is an impressive, historic building that should be adaptively reused.
Preservation Chicago welcomes the opportunity to work with DL3 to achieve a profitable and preservation-sensitive outcome for the Washington Park National Bank building. We also look forward to working with the Cook County Land Bank Authority to consider a “Preservation First” analysis is implemented for other historic buildings which become available in the future.
The Woodlawn community expressed support for reuse and they deserve to have their history honored and protected. Preservation Chicago encourages DL3 Realty to honor the community’s preference while maximizing every tool and program to save and reuse this incredible historic building. Such a project would become an amazing and continuing asset for the Woodlawn community for decades to come.
