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Showing posts with label chatham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chatham. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

The former Illinois Service Federal branch on 87th Street soon to reopen

 If you live in Chatham and do business with GN Bank - formerly known as Illinois Service Federal - is reopening their former branch on 87th Street & King Drive. According to Steve Daniels from Crain's:

Chairman Papa Kwesi Nduom, whose wealthy family rescued the bank in 2016 with millions in fresh capital when it was on the brink of failure, says the Chatham branch is open on a drive-thru basis for withdrawals and deposits. It will return to full service once licensing is completed, he says.

“This is being done to signal to the community that we are putting customer service high on our priority list,” he says in an email.

If you were following the FB page Concerned Citizens of Chatham the issue with this closure is what would replace the bank on this property. There were concerned about a marijuana dispensary possibly being located there. Well now a bank will be back on this property.

BTW, this article was from last year. GN Bank is a Ghanian-American company who rescued ISF in 2016 from failure. In this December 2021 article from ProPublica we find out GN Bank has a number of issues:

Five years later, the historic institution — renamed GN Bank — remains deeply troubled. Under the Nduoms, the bank has closed one of its two locations, cut staff, alienated many longtime customers and effectively stopped making new home loans, though that’s one of the central reasons for its existence. In 2020, the bank was again put under restrictions after regulators found “new violations of law, rule or regulation.”

Yet the Nduoms aren’t solely responsible for GN’s struggles. Regulators have failed to carry out a federal mandate to “preserve and promote” Black-owned banks, a ProPublica investigation has found.

Leading up to the Nduoms’ acquisition, the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ordered the bank to reduce the risk in its loans, which led to less revenue. Then, the agency signed off on the new owners, even though they lacked banking experience in the United States and had investments abroad that posed known regulatory risks. Since then, the bank has been under close watch, yet the Nduoms have made a series of decisions that diminished the bank’s profile and quality of service.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

John & Elizabeth Moutoussamy House in Chesterfield #Ward09

 

I like this house it's very different and fits into the Chatham community for sure. Located at 361 East 89th Place so really in Chesterfield it was designed by noted Black architect John Moutoussamy who designed a number of buildings around Chicago. I found this pic and these buildings he designed on fb

  • (1954) The John W. & Elizabeth R. Moutoussamy House, 361 East 89th Place, Chicago, IL
  • (1959) The Alex Poinsett & Norma R. Poinsett House, 8532 South Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • (1962) The Lake Terrace Condominiums, 7337 South South Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
  • (1968) The Quadrangle Condominiums, 6700 South South Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
  • (1969) The Lawless Garden Apartments, 3620 South Rhodes Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • (1969) The Michigan Beach Apartments, 7251 South South Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
  • (1972) The Woodlawn Neighborhood Health Center, 6337 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • (1972) The Regents Park Apartments, 5050 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
  • (1973) Carver Military Academy High School (Chicago Public Schools), 13100 South Doty Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • (1976) Harry S. Truman College, (City Colleges of Chicago), 1145 West Wilson Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • (1981) Richard J. Daley College, (City Colleges of Chicago), 7500 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL
  • (1981) Olive-Harvey College (City Colleges of Chicago), 10001 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • (1983) The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., International Headquarters, 5656 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago, IL
  •  (1984) The Chicago Urban League, 4510 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
  • – (1993) The Bessie Coleman Library (Chicago Public Library), 731 East 63rd Street, Chicago, IL

Whoever lives in that house currently I don't intend any disrespect by sharing a photo of their house especially since it was already shared on social media. This is one house that has definitely caught my eye over the years just architecturally stands out.

Here's more about John Moutoussamy, when you click the link you will see a pic of him outside of that very house on 89th Place.


Saturday, January 30, 2021

Bank branch at 87th & King Drive for sale

347-371 E 87th Street

This former Illinois Service Federal/GN Bank branch is for sale on 87th & King Drive. When driving by I've observed that there's hardly any business taking place there. I and perhaps others who live nearby wondered if this branch had been closed since ISF was purchased by GN Bank. And now we see some evidence of this with this listing shared by Concerned Citizens of Chatham.



This location is right on the borderline of both Wards 6 & 9.



Friday, March 16, 2018

Three snapshots on 87th Street, Wednesday

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to reenact the shots taken on New Year's Eve 2007 on 87th Street - posted to Sixth Ward blog . Back in January I did a throwback post also at The Sixth Ward blog with an old photo of the Seaway Bank sign from 2007. Just bear in mind that 87th Street represents the northern most of the 9th Ward from the Dan Ryan to roughly King Drive.

Unlike back in 2007 when these shots were taken on a simple point and shoot digital camera, these photos were taken on my iPhone with an olloclip lens.

Click on all pics for larger resolution.

Across the street is a Family Dollar store. If you can see the grand opening sign near the front entrance don't let that fool you, this particular store has been open since sometime in 2007. A local community organization wrote in their newsletters that year that they wanted a grocery store at this location. Even 10 years later no grocer has stepped forward to turn this back into a grocery store. Before 2007, this space was home to a locally owned Food Basket store.
 Moving along on 87th Street, here is a branch of Illinois Service Federal. Earlier in 2007 it was the site of a fatal bank robbery which made the local news. A teller was killed by gunfire during that violent incident. Since then ISF has gone through their own changes with a new ownership group hailing from Ghana who now owns this Black-owned financial institution.

Finally got a shot of the new sign at the former Seaway Bank which sports new signage because of it's ownership under Self-Help Federal Credit Union. Seaway Bank itself failed in January 2017 and was purchased in a FDIC auction by State Bank of Texas. Then in May 2017 Self-Help took over deposits and branches of Seaway after SBT sold them to the credit union.

There are more photos from 87th Street that I would like to post in the near future. At least on a much nicer day closer to Spring was I finally able to retake these shots. Of course there are other changes on 87th Street worth noting not captured in these three shots.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Community meet & greet on Saturday

Sorry for the late notice - and late crosspost from sixthward.us - on this as I just got wind of this on Friday night. Meet not only your new state Senator Elgie Sims, and state Rep. Nicholas Smith also county Commissioner Stanley Moore at their offices.
  • 8658 S. Cottage Grove Ave.
    Suite 404
    Chicago, IL 60619
    1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
    Phone: 773.933.7715

Flyer is below.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

9th ward job fair & hiring event

9th ward job fair & hiring fair at Tuley Park - 501 E. 90th Place tomorrow Wednesday, November 15, 2017 from 9 AM to 2 PM. Refer to flyer below if you seek more information!

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Seaway Bank Farmer's Market Aug. 2nd to Sept. 20th, 2017

Seaway Bank as a division of Self-Help FCU is hosting a farmer's market every Wednesday from Aug. 2 to Sept. 20, 2017 from 9 AM to 2 PM. at the main branch located at 645 E. 87th Street. Refer to flyer below for more details or click this link for a printable flyer.



Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Mid-century modern homes in Chatham

8459 South Michigan - Eric Allix Rogers
In 2012, I posted about the modernist architecture legacy of Chatham over @ The Sixth Ward. The many homes that were outside of the general character of that Black middle-class community had been documented over the years. And recently was documented at New City with the photography of one Eric Allix Rogers. I'd suggest you give it a read.

The takeaway is that 60 or so years ago Blacks were finally able to move away from the then Black Belt what we call Bronzeville today. While there may still be a dearth of housing options for that generation of Blacks even in spite of the end of restrictive covenants many found a place to create the suburban lifestyle they sought but weren't able to access.

Chatham was one place many were able to not only purchase a home in a nice area, they were also able to build a home. Probably a matter of buying an empty lot or tearing down a building to custom build a home. How many places in Chicago would one be able to do this today?

Saturday, August 16, 2014

DNA Info: Movie Theater Will Give Away Free Tickets For Donated School Supplies

http://utddiscountfun.blogspot.com/2013/11/studio-movie-grills-savings.html
Photo via UTD Discount Activities
And again sorry for the short notice on this, but if you're going to the Studio Movie Grill theater in Chatham @210 W. 87th St. perhaps you can bring some school supplies as well:
An annual event at Studio Movie Grill-Chatham will give away movie tickets for a donated school supply worth $5 or more.

Tickets can be used to see any movie but must be used the same day, said Lynne McQuaker, a spokeswoman for Studio Movie Grill. High school and college students must show a valid ID to receive their student tickets and no adult tickets will be distributed.

The third annual Back-To-School Supply Drive runs from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday at the South Side theater, 210 W. 87th St.
Also for additional reading over at The Sixth Ward on Thursday, the expected changes to the Chatham 14 are running behind!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Greater Chatham Alliance announcment: Free Dental Screenings

Here are some brief details about this event but refer to the flyer below
    • The Chicago Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, Traveling Dental Bus is coming to Chatham: 
      September 1, 2012
      10 am - Noon
      8245 S. King Drive
      For school age children: 5-12
      Each child will receive a take home oral health bag with educational handouts and fun tips.

      Tuesday, August 7, 2012

      ICE Theaters Community Day...

      Coming later this month at their locations in Chatham and Lawndale. ICE Theaters is holding this free family festival in conjunction with Black Pages International that features education, health & wellness, fitness, financial, business & economic development, and community empowerment resources, along with workshops, entertainment and $1 movies. Check out the flyer above for more information on this event.

      Don't forget about ICE Theaters Kids RULE Summer that continues this month. The last scheduled movie is Dr. Seuss' The Lorax!

      There are two albums at Concerned Citizen's of Chatham FB page that show scenes from the first two previous Community Day at ICE Theater's Chatham location.