View source for Harold Washington Library

{{short description|Central library of the Chicago Public Library system}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Harold Washington Library Center
| image            = Harold Washington Library, Chicago, Illinois (9181548762).jpg
| architectural_style = [[New Classical architecture|New Classical]] [[Postmodern architecture|Postmodernism]]
| cost             = 
| client           = [[Chicago Public Library]]
| address          = 400 S. State Street
| location_city    = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| location_country = [[United States]]
| coordinates      = {{Coord|41|52|35|N|87|37|41|W|display=inline,title}}
| start_date       = 
| completion_date  = October 7, 1991
| inauguration_date = 
| renovation_date  = 
| material         = Red brick and granite exterior
| floor_count      = 10
| public_transit   = {{rint|Chicago|l}} {{cta|State/Van Buren}}
| floor_area       = 972,000 square feet
| main_contractor  = 
| architect        = [[Thomas H. Beeby|Hammond, Beeby and Babka]]
| architecture_firm = 
| structural_engineer = 
| services_engineer = 
| civil_engineer   = 
| awards           = 
| url              = 
}}

The '''Harold Washington Library Center''' is the central library for the [[Chicago Public Library]] System. It is located just south of the [[The Loop (CTA)|Loop 'L']], at 400 South [[State Street (Chicago)|State Street]] in [[Chicago]], in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Illinois]]. It is a full-service library and is [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990|ADA]] compliant. As with all libraries in the Chicago Public Library system, it has free [[Wi-Fi]] internet service. Opened in 1991, it functionally replaced (after more than a decade) the city's [[Chicago Cultural Center|19th-century central library]]. The building contains approximately {{cvt|756000|sqft|m2}} of work space.<ref>[https://libraryarchitecture.wikispaces.com/Harold+Washington+%28Chicago+Public+Library%29,+Chicago,+IL "Harold Washington (Chicago Public Library), Chicago, IL"] on ''Celsus: A Library Architecture Resource''</ref> The total square footage is approximately {{cvt|972000|sqft|m2}} including the rooftop winter-garden event space.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gisapps.cityofchicago.org/zoning/viewframe.htm |title=City of Chicago:Zoning Website |website=gisapps.cityofchicago.org |access-date=26 May 2018}}</ref> It is named in honor of Mayor [[Harold Washington]].

==History==
[[File:Harold Washington Library, 9th level.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The Library's Winter Garden on the 9th floor]]

With the conversion of Chicago's former central library into the [[Chicago Cultural Center]] in 1977, a long-term temporary central library was opened in the Mandel Building at 425 North Michigan Avenue<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/03/01/brick-by-brick-end-for-mandel-building/ |title=Brick-by-brick End For Mandel Building |work=Chicago Tribune |first=Stanley |last=Ziemba |date=1 March 1989}}</ref> and much of the library's collection was put into storage. A debate on a new central library ensued and continued throughout most of the 1980s, frustrated by a lack of funding. Upon his election in 1983, Mayor [[Harold Washington]] supported the construction of a new central library. After the turmoil of four mayoral administrations in a seven-year period, finally, in 1986 during Washington's tenure, the city and the Library Board picked a location and floated a $175 million bond issue to provide funds for the new building, as well as the entire citywide library branch system.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harold Washington Library Center |url=http://designslinger.com/2011/07/19/2011079harold-washington-library-center.aspx |publisher=Deslinger |access-date=18 February 2014}}</ref> In 1987, a design competition was held by the city to decide on the architecture of the library. Five prominent entries were chosen from design-build coalitions of architects and contractors, representing designs by VOA Associates in collaboration with [[Arthur Erickson]]; Hammond, Beeby & Babka; [[Helmut Jahn|Murphy/Jahn]], Lohan Associates, and [[Skidmore, Owings and Merrill|SOM]]. The entries were narrowed down to two finalists: The Chicago Library Team with Helmut Jahn's glassy, modern design, and the SEBUS coalition, whose [[postmodern architecture|postmodern]] design by [[Thomas H. Beeby|Hammond, Beeby and Babka]] took elements from nearby historic buildings. Notably, Jahn's design was to have arched over Van Buren Street onto the area that is now occupied by Pritzker Park, incorporating a new elevated station on Chicago's [[The Loop (CTA)|Loop]]. These elements were deemed too expensive, along with the rest of Jahn's design, so the Hammond, Beeby and Babka design won the competition. The architectural models that the entrant teams created are located on the eighth floor of the Harold Washington Library Center, except the SEBUS entry, which is located in the ninth floor Special Collections.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harold Washington Library Center Design/Build Competition |url=http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/harold-washington/p/About/ |publisher=Chicago Public Library |access-date=30 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330072550/http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/harold-washington/p/About/ |archive-date=March 30, 2014}}</ref>

With the support of Harold Washington and Chicago's wealthy [[Pritzker family]], ground was broken at the chosen site at Congress Parkway and State Street, covering an entire block. Upon the building's completion in 1991, the new mayor, [[Richard M. Daley]], named the building in honor of the now-deceased former mayor Harold Washington, an advocate of reading and education among Chicagoans as well as an advocate of the library's construction. Before 1872, Chicago had mainly private libraries. England responded to the [[Great Chicago Fire of 1871]] by donating over 8,000 books to the city, which became the foundation of the first public library. This collection was housed in a variety of locations, until the Central Library was built in 1891.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harold Washington (Chicago Public Library), Chicago, IL |url=https://libraryarchitecture.wikispaces.com/Harold+Washington+(Chicago+Public+Library),+Chicago,+IL |publisher=Wikispaces |access-date=18 February 2014}}</ref> The Harold Washington Library opened on October 7, 1991. Since completion, the library has appeared in the ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of Records]]'' as the largest public library building in the world. In 2013 the architect and chairman of Hammond, Beeby and Babka, [[Thomas H. Beeby]], won the prestigious [[Driehaus Architecture Prize]] for this and other projects.{{clear left}}

==Architecture==
[[File:Harold Washington Library southwest owl.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|Owl on the southwest corner of the building]]

===Exterior===

The exterior evokes the design of the [[Rookery Building|Rookery]], [[Auditorium Building, Chicago|Auditorium]] and the [[Monadnock Building|Monadnock]] buildings. The bottom portion is made of large granite blocks. Red brick makes up the majority of the exterior. These two portions draw on the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Art]] style.<ref name='press-uchicago'>{{cite web |url=http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/740668hwlc.html |title=Harold Washington Library Center from University of Chicago Press}}</ref>

The [[pediment]]s and most of the west side facing Plymouth Court are glass, steel and aluminum with ornamentation hearkening to the [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] style.<ref name='press-uchicago' />

In 1993, the roof was ornamented with seven large, painted aluminum [[acroterion|acroteria]] designed by [[Kent Bloomer]] with owl figures by Raymond Kaskey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/harold-washington/p/Tour01/ |title=Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Public Library tour |access-date=2010-05-06 |archive-date=2014-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219090641/http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/harold-washington/p/Tour01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The acroterium on the State Street side depicts an [[owl]], a symbol of knowledge due to its association with the Greek goddess [[Athena]]. The acroteria on the Congress Parkway (now Ida. B. Wells Drive) and on the Van Buren sides contain seed pods, which represent the natural bounty of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]. The acroteria angularia each contain an owl perched in foliage.

On the divide between the granite blocks and the brick portions are wall medallions that have the face of [[Ceres (Roman mythology)|Ceres]] and ears of corn.

On the north, east and south sides of the build are five story tall arched windows. Between the windows are rope friezes.

===Interior===
All public doors lead to the [[lobby (room)|lobby]]. The north public entrance on Van Buren is just east of the [[Chicago Transit Authority|CTA]]'s [[Harold Washington Library–State/Van Buren station|Harold Washington Library–State/Van Buren]] station, served by the [[Brown Line (CTA)|Brown]], [[Orange Line (CTA)|Orange]], [[Pink Line (CTA)|Pink]] and [[Purple Line (CTA)|Purple Line]]s. The corridor goes east, then south, then west, and opens south to the lobby.
[[File:Lobby Harold Washington Library.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Lobby]]

The east and south public entrances open directly to the lobby. The west public entrance opens to the offices. The west corridor goes east then south to open at the lobby.

*The lower level houses the Cindy [[Pritzker]] Auditorium, Multi-Purpose Room and Exhibit Hall.
*The central lobby is two stories tall and includes both the circulation and information desks. On the east side, the Popular Library is housed and on the West side there is a YouMedia space for teens. 
*The second floor houses the Thomas Hughes Children’s library.
*The third floor includes computers for public use, periodicals, and interlibrary loan and general information services departments along with a [[library makerspace]]. The Maker Lab includes multiple [[3D Printer|3D printers]], CNC machines and Laser Cutters. Use of these machines is available for a nominal fee.
*The fourth floor holds the business, general sciences, and technology items.
*The fifth floor holds government publications, Chicago municipal references, maps, and an assistive resources and talking book [[National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled|center for the blind, visually impaired and physically disabled]].
*The sixth floor holds social sciences and history resources.
*The seventh floor holds literature and language resources as well as a work by acclaimed [[Polish people|Polish]] sculptor [[Jerzy Kenar]].
*The eighth floor holds visual and performing arts resources, music practice rooms, and audio/visual rooms.
*The ninth floor holds the Winter Garden, which may serve as a reading room or be rented for social functions. Also on this floor are exhibit halls, Special Collections, and the Harold Washington Archives and Collections.
*The tenth floor is not open to the public. It houses library offices and technical services.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harold Washington (Chicago Public Library), Chicago, Illinois |url=https://libraryarchitecture.wikispaces.com/Harold+Washington+(Chicago+Public+Library),+Chicago,+IL |access-date=19 March 2014 |publisher=Wikispaces}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Illinois|Chicago}}
*[[Chicago architecture]]
*[[Chicago Public Library]]
*[[Events in the Life of Harold Washington|''Events in the Life of Harold Washington'' (mural)]]
*[[List of museums and cultural institutions in Chicago]]
*[[Harold Washington Library–State/Van Buren station]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Harold Washington Library}}
*[https://www.chipublib.org/locations/34/ Harold Washington Library webpage]
*[http://www.chipublib.org/ Chicago Public Library system homepage]
{{Chicago Loop}}
<!--spacing-->

{{Chicago|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Public libraries in Chicago]]
[[Category:Central Chicago]]
[[Category:Library buildings completed in 1991]]
[[Category:Architecture in Chicago]]
[[Category:Postmodern architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:New Classical architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Cultural institutions and organizations in Chicago]]
[[Category:Harold Washington]]