CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

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Title	CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY
View	Frontal view of the east facade, north portion
Notes	educational
Work Type	library
Style/Period	Neoclassical Classical Revival Beaux Arts Beaux Arts
Creator Name	Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
Creator Nationality	American firm
Major Design Aspects	bar-shaped plan
Climate Type	cold temperate
Country	United States of America
City	Chicago
State/Province	IL
Alternate Place Names	Dearborn Park
Architectural Material	stone
Structural System	bearing masonry
Dates	1893-1897
Century	19C
Photographer	Scott Gilchrist, Archivision
Date Photographed	9/30/1991
Subject Information	Influenced by the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the first permanent home of the Chicago Public Library was designed in the Beaux Arts style by the Boston architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge. It was constructed between 1893 and 1897 at Dearborn Park, a site declared public ground by the Illinois General Assembly. The building houses a magnificent system of mosaics and glasswork that were designed by Robert C. Spencer and executed by J. L. Holzer, an artist who studied under Tiffany. The Grand Staircase is the central focus of the interior and is made of white Carrara statuary marble with mosaic inlays. The exterior is a model of massive solidarity with an arcade running along the ground level and colonnades lining the top story under a heavy cornice. The Chicago Public Library was renovated in the 1970s with designs from the firm of Holabird and Root. It incorporated a community center alongside the library that offered programs, lectures, films, plays, concerts and exhibits. The library, though, found a new home in 1991 and the building is known today as the Chicago Cultural Center. It is home to many arts programs as well as the offices of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs. Source: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/chicago/c8.htm / 'This is the first permanent structure of the city's public library system. Designed to be a grand civic building, its Classical Revival-style exterior appearance and its interior spaces are based on classical Greek and Italian Renaissance precedents. The interior is extensively decorated with mosaics, marbles, bronze, and two stained-glass domes designed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. The building's architect was the Boston firm that succeeded the office of Henry Hobson Richardson, designer of the Glessner House.' Source: www.chipublib.org/003cpl/cpl125/central.htm
Credit Line	Archivision Inc. (all images copyright Scott Gilchrist / Archivision.com)
Collection Title	Archivision (architecture, urban design, gardens, landscapes and public art)
Collection information	Collection administered by the Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library, (402) 472-1193

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CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

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