Wicker Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Home & Bank Trust Building

Karl M. Vitzthum & Co., architects; 1925-26

— Chicago Landmark —

Home & Bank Trust Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 8, 2024

1. Home & Bank Trust Building Marker

Inscription. This neighborhood bank building exemplifies the critical role that banks played in the history and development of Chicago neighborhoods in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Built in the heart of Chicago's historic "Polish downtown, this monumental Classical Revival-style building is ornamented with finely-carved low-relief sculpture and has a dramatic banking hall. Vitzthum is a significant architect of several other neighborhood bank buildings in Chicago as well as downtown skyscrapers such as the One North LaSalle and Steuben Club buildings.

Designated on February 6, 2008
Richard M. Daley, Mayor

Erected by Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Immigration • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location. 41° 54.221′ N, 87° 40.065′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Wicker Park. It is at the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Division Street, on the left when traveling north

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on Ashland Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1200 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago IL 60622, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Polish National Alliance Building (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bell from the First Holy Trinity Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Elizabeth Peabody Public School Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); Pulaski Park Fieldhouse (approx. 0.3 miles away); Milly’s Pizza in the Pan (approx. 0.3 miles away); Northwestern University Settlement House (approx. 0.4 miles away); East Village (approx. 0.4 miles away); Nelson Algren (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. The marker

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 8, 2024

2. Home & Bank Trust Building Marker

has a small bit of graffiti etched onto it.

Regarding Home & Bank Trust Building. The building is a towering landmark at the busy intersection known as the "Polish Triangle," where Ashland Avenue, Division Street and the diagonal Milwaukee Avenue intersect. The building housed banks into the 21st century, but today appears to be only home to some small businesses.

Also see . . .
1. Chicago Landmark Designation Report: Home & Bank Trust Building. A 2005 report on the building from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

Excerpt: "A handsome example of the Classical Revival style, the Home Bank and Trust Building (commonly known as the Manufacturers Bank Building, and now occupied by MB Financial Bank) is one of the finest neighborhood bank buildings in Chicago and is a prominent visual landmark for its community. This imposing structure is readily distinguished from the surrounding streetscape due to its six-story height, which rises above the existing commercial streetscape, as well as its distinctive and monumental Classical Revival-style design and finely detailed ornamentation."

(Submitted on October 8, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Karl Martin Vitzthum.

Home & Bank Trust Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 8, 2024

3. Home & Bank Trust Building

A biography of Karl Vitzthum from the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society (Submitted on October 8, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Nelson Algren Fountain image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 8, 2024

4. Nelson Algren Fountain

The Home & Bank Trust Building is in the background of this photo taken from the "Polish Triangle," whose central feature is a fountain dedicated to Chicago author Nelson Algren.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 323 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 8, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.