-
400 South State Street
Chicago, IL 60605
United States -
+1 312 747 4300
-
Neighborhood :
Loop
- Mon to Thu from 09:00 AM to 09:00 PM,Fri to Sat from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM,Sun from 01:00 PM to 05:00 PM
Massive is the first word that comes to mind when describing Chicago's central public library. The building, named after Chicago's beloved late Mayor Harold Washington, was built in 1987 with the goal of giving Chicago the largest public library in the world. Five design teams consisting of architects and builders submitted their design plans in a widely publicized competition. In the end, Chicago got a library that combined the latest in construction innovations with an old-world flavored architecture that fits right in with the classic Chicago buildings. Despite being largely understaffed, operations here run fairly smoothly. The collection is huge, encompassing 756,000 square feet and 10 levels, not including a rooftop winter penthouse garden. Among its more than 13 million pieces are innumerable rare manuscripts, books, art and sound archives.
Copyright © 1999-2009 wcities.com All rights Reserved - Contact wcities to report incorrect information
Latest Reviews (from TravelMuse and around the web)
-
Leave Review
- E-mail*
- Password*
- Title *
- By clicking submit you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
- Submit
-
Review Options
Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook account by clicking the button below.
Yahoo Travel Reviews
( 4 Reviews
)
Top 
Great library but..
Holy Snikey's can they balance the races of who they hire over there? I mean there all black and I saw maybe like a handful of white people wor...
Amazing library for an amazing City
This library is incredible. The only library I have used in America (including nyc) that can rival my Bibliotheque Nationale de France. I have ...
My Passport to the World
My Chicago Public Library card is my passport to the world, and the Harold Washington Library is one of my favorite places to be. I especially...
Majestic
Take a ride on the "L" train. You'll gasp at seeing its gargoyle-festooned roof. It's a relatively new structure with an ancient soul -- just...
CitySearch Reviews
( 2 Reviews
)
Top
The largest public library in the world, named after Chicago's first African-American mayor.
Perched above the massive granite and red brick building are what look like giant green gargoyles (they're actually owls). This facility, opene...
Quiet times
Since this library was built, no other in the city can compare. It has 8 or more floors to begin with. I like to browse there for a few hours. ...
TravelMuse Reviews Top