Restoring the Glory of This Iconic Chicago ‘Black Metropolis’ Building
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| Historic Anthony Overton Hygenic Building in Bronzeville, 3619 S. State Street |
n the heart of Bronzeville, on Chicago’s Near South Side, around 20 folks bundled in coats, hats, and scarves gathered on the first floor of the iconic Overton Hygienic Building. Photos and graphics lined the walls, stripped to bare plaster and exposed brick. A cardboard representation titled “The Shotgun Shack/House” sat on one table, covered with cutout slogans and photos. D.W. Griffith’s controversial 1915 film, “The Birth of a Nation,” played in a continuous loop, projected directly onto the bare wall opposite the entrance.
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They were all there on Nov. 30, 2018, for the closing reception of “Art and Social Justice: Examining the State of Our Environment,” a pop-up exhibition organized by Phantom Gallery Chicago Network. The month-long multimedia exhibition featured contributions from participating curators Renee Baker, Felicia Grant Preston, Paola Aguirre Serrano, and Paula Robinson, along with artists Duane Preston, Renard Preston, Ciera L, Preston, Jihad El Amin, Toussaint Werner, Michael “Koto” Thomas, Walter Freeman, Larissa Johnson, and Rhonda Hardy.
The venue was not a random selection. In its heyday, the Overton building housed a thriving variety of black-owned commercial and civic improvement ventures under the direction of legendary African-American entrepreneur Anthony Overton.
