Appeared in the Spring/Summer 2024 Gazette
by Meagan McChesney, PhD, WHS Curator

791 Elm Street, 2024.

The Chase Bank at the northwest corner of Green Bay and Elm may seem like a typical bank building, but the site holds an important place in Winnetka’s history.

The commercial history of the site dates back to 1855, when early settler Riley M. Graves opened a general store there. In 1875, Robert Moth purchased the store from Graves and in 1882, Moth sold it to Max Meyer, who lived in the house now located at 455 Chestnut.

While Meyer continued to sell groceries and goods at the store, he had a grander vision for the historic shop. In 1894, Meyer founded the North Shore’s first bank, the Bank of M. K. Meyer, inside the store.

The Meyer General Store and the Bank of Max Meyer, c. 1900.

Over the years, Meyer found the banking business to be lucrative and when a fire destroyed the original building in 1912, he decided to focus on banking. He rebuilt a new Bank of M. K. Meyer building on the site and five years later, changed the name of the bank to the Winnetka Trust & Savings Bank.

The Winnetka Trust & Savings Bank, c. 1950.

After Meyer’s death in 1937, his son-in-law, Herbert K. Humphrey, took over as chairman of the bank. In the early 1960s, Humphrey oversaw the demolition of the second bank building and in 1964, the current bank building was constructed. In 1967, Max Meyer’s grandson took over for his father as chairman and in 1970, renamed the bank the Winnetka Bank.

The banking business at 791 Elm remained in the Meyer/Humphrey family until 1989 when it was sold to First Chicago Corporation and was renamed First Chicago Bank of Winnetka. It has been a JP Morgan/Chase-owned Bank for almost two decades.

The current bank building has been a hallmark feature of Winnetka’s business district for almost 60 years. It was designed by prominent architectural firm Mayo & Mayo, who designed several notable structures in Chicago and beyond. In Winnetka, they also designed 140 Sheridan, 593 Arbor Vitae, and 419 Sheridan, which is a Winnetka Designated Landmark.

The Mayo & Mayo designed bank building is now up for demolition. While the current building may not be here for much longer, the significance of the site will certainly remain. ■