“Residents of the 20th Ward voted to approve a developer’s plan to rehabilitate the dilapidated Washington Park Bank building, clearing the way for a redevelopment agreement with the city to fund the project.

“Called Revive63, the project is a $46 million plan to renovate the building, 6300 S. Cottage Grove Ave., and convert it into a space for offices, retail and a Chicago Public Library branch. In the works since 2022, it’s spearheaded by South Side-based developer DL3 Realty.

“As part of this process, DL3 held a series of community meetings ahead of a vote by ward residents, which concluded at the end of February. Of the more than 50,000 residents eligible to vote on the project, 79 residents weighed in, with 55 voting in favor and 25 against.

“Once slated for demolition, the bank building was named to Preservation Chicago’s “most endangered” buildings list in 2018 and 2020. In September 2023, it was rezoned to permit the construction of a six-story building, up from the current four floors.

“The first floor, according to Alex Sparhawk, director of acquisition and development for DL3, will consist of 5,000 square feet of commercial retail space. The second floor will host the library. The rest of the floors will host office space, and a new sixth floor will include rooftop access for the offices.

“‘There’s a really beautiful deck,’ Sparhawk said. “It stands over every building in the area, so it’s got really commanding views up there.’ Each floor, including the library, will also have its own terrace.

“The four-story Washington Park National Bank building opened for business in 1924. The bank closed seven years later but the neoclassical building for decades played host to a revolving door of other businesses, retail and community groups, once serving as the headquarters of The Woodlawn Organization. But over the last four decades, as the once-bustling 63rd Street corridor withered from disinvestment, demolition and population decline, the bank building similarly languished.

“During community meetings about the project, Taylor told the Herald, residents expressed desires for a bank and food options, including sit-down restaurants, in the building. Others said they want a separation between the library and other spaces. Some, she added, opposed the construction of new office space.

“Now that we have clarity to closing and clarity on the timeline, we can actually start committing with tenants,” Sparhawk said. He added that DL3 already has a prospective nonprofit operator to “anchor the property,” meaning they would take up almost three quarters of the total 40,000 square feet of rentable office space. (Pharo, Hyde Park Herald, 3/25/25)

“‘We need to activate this space in a vibrant way that brings people [and] jobs to this community — to help create additional retail uses along 63rd and along Cottage Grove,’ said Alex Sparhawk, director of acquisitions and development for DL3 Realty.

“Construction on the $45.6 million project is set to begin in spring 2026, and the development is expected to open by fall 2027.

“The project is supported by a $20 million Chicago Public Library capital bond and would not move forward without the library as an anchor, Sparhawk said. The library would own the space it occupies.

“The bank’s limestone façade would be preserved and restored, but the rest of the building would be replaced by a new steel and glass structure due to roof, flooding and masonry damage. Revive 63 initially planned to demolish the entire building.” (Evans, Block Club Chicago, 2/6/25)

Preservation Chicago is thrilled by this outcome. We have long urged DL3 Real Estate, the Cook County Land Bank Authority and other stakeholders to preserve and reuse this historic building.

We wish to recognize the leadership of Eleanor Gorski during her leadership of the Cook County Land Bank Authority which was essential to this preservation-oriented direction. Additionally, Preservation Chicago’s dedicated advocacy proved critical at many milestones over the past decade. The Washington Park National Bank was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2016 and again in 2020.

The Washington Park National Bank Building is an important neighborhood anchor on a commercial corridor that has seen the tragic loss of many important buildings. It is essential for the long-term reinvestment and prosperity of this commercial district that this historic building be preserved and redeveloped.

Read the full story at Hyde Park Herald and Block Club Chicago

• Community approves plans for Washington Park Bank rehabilitation, Zoe Pharo, Hyde Park Herald, 3/25/25
• Woodlawn Bank Redevelopment Aims To House Public Library Under Developer’s Plan; After years of shifting plans for the former Washington Park National Bank, developer Revive 6300 now proposes a six-story office building with shops and a library — all behind the old building’s façade, Maxwell Evans, Block Club Chicago, 2/6/25
• New Details And Timeline Revealed For Revive 63 Redevelopment In Woodlawn, Ian Achong, Chicago YIMBY, 1/5/25
• Developers seek community input on Woodlawn bank building revival, Ahmad Sayles, Hyde Park Herald, 1/28/25
• Historic Washington Park National Bank Building Gets Approval To Build Luxury Offices; The $40 million redevelopment project, a collaboration between two Black-owned firms, could be completed by 2025, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 9/14/23
• Washington Park Bank Building approved by City Council, Zoe Pharo, Hyde Park Herald, 9/12/23
• Washington Park National Bank. A 2020 Chicago 7 Most Endangered