Council Approves Landmark Status for Northwest Side Bank, North Side Automobile Showroom

June 6, 2012

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A classically-designed bank building in Humboldt Park and a vintage automobile showroom in Edgewater were approved as official City of Chicago landmarks today by City Council.

“These buildings have anchored important neighborhood commercial districts for many years,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “As official City landmarks, their roles in our communities will be ensured for many years to come.”

Each building was recommended for landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks earlier this spring.

Pioneer Trust and Savings Bank, 4000 W. North Ave.
Designed by the architectural firm of K.M. Vitzthum & Co. in the classical revival style, Pioneer Trust and Savings Bank is an important example of early 20th century bank architecture in Chicago. Its limestone facade is adorned with ionic columns, a three-story entrance portico, and four sculptural panels depicting men at work. Interior features include a grand banking hall with original marble check desks and bronze teller counters.

The five-story structure is part of a group of 16 neighborhood banks that the Landmarks Commission forwarded for landmark designation by City Council. To date, 14 of the buildings have been designated as official City landmarks.

Riviera Motor Sales Company Building, 5948-60 N. Broadway
The Riviera Motor Sales Company Building is a significant example of the ornate automobile showrooms that developed along Broadway’s “automobile row” in the early 20th century. Designed by architect R. Bernard Kurzon and completed in 1926, the structure was built by car dealers Isadore and Isaac H. Burnstine to house a Chrysler dealership. The building’s intricate Venetian-style terra cotta and brick facades, along with its Mediterranean-inspired interiors, were intended to convey a sense of luxury for customers seeking to purchase or repair a car. Broadway’s automobile row, with more than 30 showrooms in the late 1920s, was one of the city’s largest neighborhood auto districts..

 

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