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The Chicago Cultural Center Welcomes You...

Today, when you walk into the Chicago Cultural Center, you enter a world of culture that is uniquely Chicago. It is the magical tour, whether you go through the gleaming Carrara marble and Tiffany glass Washington Street side or the more boisterously crowded, yet tranquil Randolph Street side. Somewhere in the marvelous building, at any hour of the day and into the night, people of all definitions, from near and far, are enjoying the multitude of exciting free events sponsored by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

This is a People’s Palace – a celebration of the arts, education, Chicago, and the world. Constructed over 100 years ago as the Chicago Public Library and a Civil War memorial, the Chicago Cultural Center reflects the best of Chicago.

Chicago…in the beginning

History books are filed with stories about Chicago – DuSable’s Trading Post. Battles at Fort Dearborn. The Great Fire of Chicago. The World’s Columbian Exposition. These and many other historic events set the stage for Chicago today, one of the most beautiful and dynamic cities in the world…and Chicago tomorrow.

Chicago was incorporated in 1837. Thirty-three years later, in October 1871, fire raged through the city’s core, burning four square miles, killing 250 people, leaving 100,000 people homeless, and destroying 18,000 buildings. Chicago was fire-swept and almost totally destroyed.

In the spirit of dedication and determination so representative of its citizens, the city was soon rebuilt. A year after the fire, new buildings appeared every day. By 1875, many busy streets were lined with tall marble buildings, some an unimaginable nine stories high, made possible by recently invented elevator. The sounds of construction were everywhere. Crossroad of the nation’s rail lines and center for meatpacking, as well as a major harbor for ships on the Great Lakes, Chicago grew and grew. Even in this rugged environment, citizens showed an appreciation for culture and learning.

A public library for Chicago

The first library in Chicago dates back to 1834 when the Chicago Lyceum maintained a circulating library of 300 volumes for its members. The Lyceum’s popularity faded and in 1841 some of its members formed a new cultural center, the Young Men’s Association. The Association had a public reading room with a collection of 30,000 books, all of which were destroyed in the fire of 1871.

Soon after the fire, Chicagoans received about 8,000 books from distinguished British authors and statesmen who wanted to help replace those that were destroyed. Many volumes were autographed by their donors, including Queen Victoria, John Stuart Mill, Charles Darwin, Robert Browning, John Ruskin and Alfred Lord Tennyson. With these books as the base of the collection, Chicago’s leaders established the Chicago Public Library in April 1872.

The Library Board arranged for the collection to be housed in an old water tank. For many years following, the library occupied various temporary spaces while Board members looked for a permanent site. By 1874, the collection was available for circulation without charge to all Chicagoans, and two years later it had 120,000 volumes! By 1891, Chicago boasted the largest library system in the country. William Frederick Poole, the city’s distinguished librarian and a nationally recognized scholar, is credited for much of the library’s success in that era.

1893: Chicago presents the World’s Columbian Exposition

Finally, the Library Board selected Dearborn Park as a permanent site and in 1893 the Chicago City Council granted the required approval. As planning for the library continued, Chicagoans were presenting their beautiful, vigorous and prosperous city to the more than 26 million people who came to the famous World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. The main buildings were designed in a neo-classical style. The Museum of Science and Industry is the only structure remaining from the Fair. The success of the World’s Fair convinced many city leaders that Chicago could compete with any major American or European city. It also inspired visionaries like Daniel Burnham, who some years later presented the city with its brilliant 1909 Plan of Chicago.

A dual-purpose building

The Library Board envisioned a splendid building that would enrich Chicago’s cultural and intellectual life. However, before plans could be prepared, a conflict arose over control of Dearborn Park because the state legislature had given the north quarter of the park to an American Civil War veterans organization called the Soldier’s Home. An agreement was finally signed in 1891 that specified two distinct purposes for the building; that it be the Chicago Public Library as well as a Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall dedicated to Northern soldiers who fought in the Civil War.

In order to finance the structure, an unusual method of funding was implemented. Instead of seeking philanthropic support from a privileged group, as was often done for such projects, the City Council levied a 1% tax on its citizens. That way it could be said that the library truly belonged to the people of Chicago.

The architects’ vision

Once financing was established, the Library Board requested bids from architectural firms throughout the nation. The Instructions to Architects specified that the new library “convey to the beholder the idea that the building would be an enduring monument worthy of a great and public spirited city.”

In February 1892, the Boston firm of Shepley Rutan and Coolidge (known today as Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott) was awarded the contract to design the library. These three young architects were the successors to the office of Henry Hobson Richardson, one of America’s foremost nineteenth-century architectural firms. Talented and popular, they had just completed the original building of The Art Institute of Chicago.

The architects’ final concept for the library was a neo-classical building that included powerful Greek columns and sturdy Roman arches. Adhering to the Board’s rigid and detailed specifications for the structure, Shepley Rutan and Coolidge’s design showed a unified exterior with an interior that served the purposes of a library and war memorial.

1892 groundbreaking

With great fanfare and excitement, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the corner of Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue on July 27, 1892. Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, a prominent rabbi and Library Board president, proclaimed, “We have for years been like the ancient people of Egypt, wandering about in search of a home. At last we have reached the promised land and here we intend to remain. As the sun’s heat is oppressive, I will not detain you further. I now take the first shovel of earth and cast it into the wagon.” He then emptied his shovel into a nearby wagon. Others followed suit. The dirt from the excavation site was hauled to the Art Institute site where it was used for landfill.

October 1897: Unveiling the people’s palace

Five years later, after several construction delays, the spectacular, neo-classical granite and limestone “palace” called the Chicago Public Library was finally completed. During the first week of October 1897, the people of Chicago marveled at the sparkling building that housed an inspired, marvelous library and a serenely beautiful Grand Army of the Republic War Memorial.

The Chicago Sunday Tribune said: “While its decorative splendor is surpassed by other notable libraries, particularly the new structures in Washington and Boston, its tastefulness and fitness leave little to be desired.” Ten thousand Chicagoans a day flocked to see the elegant structure with its two dazzling stained-glass domes; white marble stairways and walls decorated with shimmering mother-of-pearl and colored glass mosaics; green marble war memorial rooms containing the names of important battles; and beautiful coffered ceilings.

One week later, on October 9, a gala celebration was held for nearly 3,000 guests, a “who’s who” of Chicago society. At the opening, the Chicago Orchestra played the intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni’s Cavallieria Rusticana, composed just six years before. The music accompanying the dedication foreshadowed what would be the mission of the Chicago Cultural Center nearly a century later – to support new and innovative arts.

This building is as solid as its great mass suggests. It took nearly a year for 70 men to drive 2,357 wooden piles 75 feet to the hardpan clay below Michigan Avenue’s sandy soil. The design, by engineer William Sooy Smith, was so stable that there has been no noticeable settlement of the building in more than 100 years.

Railroad cars supplied the coal that fed the massive boilers in the basement. Today heat and hot water are supplied by the Pittsfield Building across the street.

Newspaper stands on the Randolph Street side of the library allowed Chicagoans to read the latest editions of the daily papers before home services were widespread.

The Exterior

The structure was originally built in the shape of a blunt-ended U. It measures 352 feet north to south, 134 feet east to west, and 90 feet from the sidewalk to the balustrade. The three-foot thick walls are made of fine grade Bedford (Indiana) limestone on a granite base. From the outside the building appears to be three stories but inside it is actually five stories.

The Interior

The north and south sides of the building have different architectural elements. Entering from Randolph Street, the north side, the architecture is Greek-inspired with strong angular structures and military-influenced decorations. The three doorways share a massive porch with Doric columns set in pairs.

From the curving marble staircase an outdoor garden and sculpture can be viewed. At the top of the stairway is the 45-foot by 50-foot Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Rotunda. The ceiling is embossed with plaster carvings of swords, shields, helmets, and flags. This ornamental heraldry serves to remind viewers of the loss that comes with war.

The 40-foot-diameter stained-glass dome in shades of tan, beige, and ochre is now lighted electrically. It was originally illuminated by sunlight. The stained glass was made by Healy & Millet of Chicago. It is held by cast-iron ribbing, manufactured by the Winslow Brothers of Chicago. A floor inset with glass blocks originally provided natural light from the dome to the first floor below.

The immense G.A.R. Memorial Hall is just beyond the Rotunda. It measures 53-feet long, 96-feet wide, and 33-feet high. Leased to the Grand Army Hall and Memorial Association between 1898 and 1948, it was a meeting place for members of the G.A.R. Today, the collection of Civil War artifacts once displayed there is now preserved at the Harold Washington Library Center. It is used for ceremonial and artistic purposes, including weddings.

This room is a somber and richly decorated memorial to the soldiers of the Civil War. The sedate Vermont (Verdé) marble walls bear the names of 30 Civil War battles including: Shilo, Antietam, Gettysburg, Cedar Creek, Ft. Sumter. The coffered ceilings are encrusted with dragons, fruit, starts, and other designs. Adjacent to Memorial Hall is the Claudia Cassidy Theater, originally a flat-floored G.A.R. meeting room.

Entering from Washington Street, the south side, the architecture is Roman-inspired. This entrance has Roman arches and exuberant ornamentation. There are three pairs of glass doors with decorative elements. A 34-foot-long elliptical arch of white marble, decorated with glass tesserae, sparkles with the names of great thinkers of the past, including Cicero, Plato, and Livy. The lobby (45 feet deep and 53 feet wide) is decorated in rare marbles. The white marble is Italian Carrara, from the same source as the marble used by Michelangelo for his sculpture. The dark green marble is Irish Connemara. Fine hardwoods, stained glass, and polished bronze are also used lavishly throughout.

The Cosmati work throughout the interior is a technique in which marble is inlaid with a variety of materials, including lustrous Favrile glass, colored stone, mother-of-pearl, gold leaf, and mosaic. This technique makes walls appear jewel-like. Due to Chicago’s sooty air, the choice of glass and marble was practical as well as aesthetic because these materials last indefinitely and can be easily cleaned.

The grand staircase of white Carrara contains mosaics designed by Robert C. Spencer, Jr. of Shepley Rutan and Coolidge. The mosaics were executed in the Tiffany Studios in New York by J. A. Holzer. Above the third floor the staircase is decorated with less elaborate Italian and American marbles and mosaics.

On the third floor the staircase opens into the elegant Preston Bradley Hall, which spans the width of the building. Originally, this was the general delivery room where people received the books they requested.

The magnificent translucent dome, 38 feet in diameter and made of Tiffany Favrile glass, is cut in the shape of fish scales. At the top of the dome are the signs of the zodiac. Now lighted electrically, it was originally illuminated by sunlight. At the base of the dome is a quotation from the British author Joseph Addison. The dome glass, lighting fixtures, wall sconces and chandeliers were made by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company of New York. The supporting frame was constructed by the Chicago Ornamental Iron Company. On the east and west sides of the hall are quotations in Greek, Chinese, Arabic, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Hebrew, Italian, German, French, Latin, and Spanish. Black ornamented boxes in the corners of the room were once elevators used for book delivery.

By 1915 cultural programming was a regular feature at the library. By the mid-1920s the library began to outgrow its space. As early as the 1930s the inadequate space at the library became a topic of public discussion. Between the 1930s and 1970s the scope of the library’s offerings continued to expand; it was clearly overcrowded.

Even as early as the 1920s, the Chicago Public Library had already established itself as a landmark in the hearts of Chicagoans.

A 1967 architectural survey conducted by Chicago architects Holabird and Root confirmed that although the building was still structurally sound, the mechanical, electrical and communication systems were obsolete. Some changes were necessary.

The library building is saved

A design competition for renovation of the Chicago Public Library was held in 1970. Two architectural firms from Madison, Wisconsin shared the prize for the winning design, estimating that the project would cost a prohibitive $28 million. Soon the library became the center of a spirited public debate. City officials were challenged to provide Chicagoans with a cost-effective, updated public library and some suggested that the building be demolished. Preservationists wanted to save it, both for its magnificent beauty and as a monument to the past.

During the early 1970s, the demolition of old buildings in the name of progress and modernization was a common response to the aging of American cities. Chicago was no exception and the Chicago Public Library building seemed doomed to share the fate of the recently demolished Board of Trade building.

A group of citizens and preservation activists, who came together to save the building as early as 1965, worked with the Chicago Heritage Committee and the Landmarks Preservation Council (now Landmarks Illinois) throughout the early 1970s. Charles G. Staples played a significant leadership role in the eight-year preservation campaign – and also wrote an extensive history of the Central Library Building, a copy of which is archived at the Chicago History Museum. [The City of Chicago honored Mr. Staples for his preservation efforts and his decades of volunteer service at a ceremony on May 3, 2017.]

On February 7, 1972, Mayor Richard J. Daley formed a special six-man committee to consider the building’s future. Four days later, in a rare public comment, Eleanor “Sis” Daley, the Mayor’s wife, was quoted in the Chicago press as saying, “I am for restoring and keeping all the beautiful buildings.” Within three weeks, the Mayor’s committee announced that the building would be saved.

Preservationists cheered. The Chicago Public Library would be moved to a new site. Not only would one of Chicago’s most beautiful buildings be saved, but this decision would help to save other historic treasures in the future. In another important move Senator Adlai Stevenson III (D. Illinois) succeeded in having the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places because it was “a precious public resource.” This designation, granted in 1972, would also protect it from future demolition.

The library is renovated: 1974-1977

Approximately half of the library’s books and periodicals had been moved to another location by 1974. Consequently, the library’s collection was then housed in two facilities. That same year, the firm of Holabird and Root was selected as the architects for a much-needed building renovation. The architects viewed the structure as an historic treasure and their sensitive design kept the exterior and most of its decorative features intact and unchanged.

When the project was completed three years later, Holabird and Root were lauded for their skillful work – modernizing an outdated structure while preserving its historic integrity.

What did the architects do?

During the renovation, old space was put to new use. Along Garland Court, on the west side of the structure, a long, gently sloping ramp was constructed to provide easy access between several floors and the building’s north and south sections. The ramp also enclosed the original U-shape of the building, allowing for a lovely sculpture garden. A major exhibition space was created out of former stack-filled library rooms and the G.A.R. meeting room gained new life as the Preston Bradley Hall, providing a dazzling setting for functions from concerts to luncheons. In 1976, The Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks granted the building status as a Chicago Landmark.

The rise of the Chicago Cultural Center

Imaginative support by the Chicago City Council and succeeding mayoral administrations during the 1970s and 1980s fostered the evolution of the Chicago Public Library Cultural Center. In 1976, during the administration of Mayor Michael Bilandic, the Chicago Council on Fine Arts was established to publicly support individual artists and arts organizations. In 1977, the building became known as The Chicago Public Library Cultural Center. Mayor Jane Byrne moved the funding for programs and staff from the library to the Chicago Council on Fine Arts in 1981. In 1984, Mayor Harold Washington’s administration created the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to provide free arts and cultural services to all Chicagoans, and the programming role became part of the new department.

In 1986, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced a design competition for a new library that would be located on West Congress Boulevard. In 1989 Mayor Daley appointed Lois Weisberg as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. In 1991, the new Harold Washington Library Center was dedicated. Soon after, Mayor Daley decided that the venerable building on Michigan Avenue should become a free museum and cultural center. Created by visionaries who believed that the arts should be free to the public and part of their daily experience, the Chicago Cultural Center evolved as a national model. Referring to its genesis, Commissioner Weisberg said, “It was a dream come true for those who love the arts and view them as an essential public service that should be free and accessible to everyone. There is no place like it in the country.” To this day, Commissioner Weisberg holds the same position.

Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Sidney R. Yates (D. Illinois), the Chicago Cultural Center received $2 million from the federal government for a partial renovation, completed in 1994. That same year, the Sidney R. Yates Gallery, a beautiful exhibition space, was dedicated. The momentum continued and the Chicago Cultural Center soon boasted a Studio Theater, Dance Studio, Café, Shop and three more galleries. Today, the Museum of Broadcast Communications is another popular attraction and Renaissance Court, operated by the Chicago Department on Aging, serves an important population.

The Chicago Cultural Center today

The Chicago Cultural Center attracts thousands of visitors each year – people of all ages and nationalities, residents and tourists – who experience the hundreds of regularly scheduled public events offered free of charge. It is known for exhibitions, music, drama and dance; for lectures, demonstrations and workshops; screenings and plays; and concerts and discussions. The Chicago Cultural Center is a special place, a People’s Palace, where everyone who enters its grand lobbies has a unique opportunity to be entertained, enlightened, and enriched.