Forest Park National Bank is in the midst of a weeks-long restoration project to the exterior of its building on the 7300 block of Madison Street.
The project includes rebuilding crumbling parapet walls, replacing rusted window lintels and redoing grout between some of the building’s limestone.
“They love the building. They’re proud of the building,” building service manager Greg Karaszewski said of the bank’s management. “They are trying to keep it all in the original motif.”
The planned timeline for the project, which began the first week of May, was 30 days, but Karaszewski said workers discovered additional repairs, including to the lintels, after starting. The new estimate for the project’s completion is 60 days although it could be sooner.
There will be no interruptions to customer service and all building entrances are open, said Karaszewski, who has worked at Forest Park National Bank for over three decades. The project’s scope is significant.
“I’ve been here for 32 years,” he noted. “Never have I had to scaffold the bank like this.”
He did not know the age of the building but mentioned the oldest blueprint he has seen is from 1916. He said the print looked original but he wasn’t sure.
Forest Park Village Administrator Tim Gillian said the bank secured all the necessary approvals from the village and added the village will keep tabs on the project.
Thomas Vogel
