Top 9 Beautiful Libraries In Chicago

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago. The allure of a beautiful library is difficult to resist—warm and solemn, their quiet spaces as well as towering shelves of books evoke a kind of tranquillity, just as afternoons spent absorbed in a novel.

Fortunately, Chicago is home to a number of high-quality libraries, ranging from our robust public system to substantial archives residing within some of the city’s best museums. Whether you’re looking for high-quality primary sources or just a nice place to work, here are some of the most beautiful libraries in Chicago.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: T.B. Blackstone Memorial Library

The Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library, which opened in 1904, was designed to resemble the Erechtheion, a temple atop the Athenian Acropolis, which is reflected in the library’s opulent detailing. The facade is surrounded by marble columns; indoors, the building is enhanced by a massive Tiffany-style dome, mosaic flooring, and a set of lush overhead murals painted by the World Columbian Exhibition muralist. The mahogany furniture in the library’s reading room provides an appropriately opulent setting to curl up with a book.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: The Newberry Library

Since its opening in 1893, the impressive Romanesque revival-style exterior of the Newberry Library—an impartial, non-circulating research institution—has held sway over the leafy vast stretches of Washington Square. The Newberry’s huge humanities-centered collection is the real draw: any reader over the age of 14 can connect the library’s books as well as archives, which include rare books, maps, modern manuscripts, and more, for free.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: The Harold Washington Library

The spacious flagship of the Chicago Public Library system, Harold Washington Library, stands out even among South Loop’s towering skyscrapers. The structure, a strange marriage of postmodern as well as Beaux-Arts architecture, features red brick but also arching windows, as well as a roof topped with five massive barn owls—a tribute to knowledge and learning.

There are plenty of public services on the library’s nine accessible floors, but we recommend sneaking away to the glass-domed Winter Garden on the 9th floor to find a sun-dappled reading nook.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: The Stony Island Arts Bank

Local artist and philanthropist Theaster Gates purchased the city-owned former community bank for $1 in 2012, transforming it into a cultural institution that is part library, part gallery, as well as a part community center. The 1st-floor galleries are accessible to the general public, but researchers can make an appointment to view the center’s extensive archives.

Highlights include Frankie Knuckles’ record collection and books acquired by the company which published Jet & Ebony, which are designed to house on floor-to-ceiling bookshelves inside the Johnson Publishing Library.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: Pritzker Military Museum & Library

View the downtown cityscape through the windows of the Pritzker Military Museum’s library, which has over 65,000 titles related to history, culture, and branches of the United States military. You can visit the library’s central region for $5 (which also includes admission to the museum), but you must make a reservation in advance if you want to peruse its rare books room, which houses approximately 3,000 works dating all the way back to the Civil War and earlier.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago

A subterranean storage space underneath the low-slung, glass-domed reading room houses 3.5 million volumes in the University of Chicago’s newest library. Helmut Jahn, who also designed the similarly glass-plated Thompson Center in the Loop, designed the library’s elliptical dome, which uses specially-coated glass to keep even light sources and climate control throughout the structure. Its 180-seat reading room is open to the public seven days a week if they purchase a day pass.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: The Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute

Dive into the history of architecture and art at the Art Institute of Chicago’s 2 research libraries, which have a special emphasis on Midwestern archives relating to topics such as the Bauhaus in Chicago and the city’s urban planning history.

The Franke Reading Room, a magnificent and spacious atrium that serves as the primary research area, is equally appealing. Anyone with at least a high school reading level is welcome in the reading room, which features a 19th-century skylight created by well-known stained glass artist Louis Millet.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: Chicago Public Library, Chinatown Branch

The Chinatown branch of the Chicago Public Library system, which opened in 2015, has a curved design that is intended to imitate the Feng Shui principle of fluidity—its exclusion zone subtly traces the length of the property, which allows for more pedestrian space as well as clear views of the building from the bordering intersection.

The interior of the library is organized around a large atrium room and features a mural by CJ Hungerman titled “Universal Transverse Immigration Proclamation,” which pays homage to the neighborhood’s history and character.

Beautiful Libraries In Chicago: The Poetry Foundation Library

The Poetry Foundation building in Chicago houses the Midwest’s only poetry library, where visitors can search an archive of over 30,000 journals,  audio recordings, chapbooks, prose works, and other poetry-related documents. The space is accessible to the general public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.