FEATURE image: The Harold Washington Library sits on the northwest corner of State Street and Ida B. Wells (Congress) Drive. It is recognized as one of the largest public library buildings in the world. November 2017. Author’s photograph. 5.02 mb.

The Harold Washington Library Center is a landmark of late 20th-century Chicago architecture that successfully combines the civic grandeur of traditional monumental buildings with a distinctly postmodern design vocabulary, while serving as both a major public institution and a lasting tribute to Mayor Harold Washington.

The decorative pediment of stylized aluminum sculptures was designed by Kent Bloomer in 1993. With enormous owls at each of the pediment’s four corners (“acroteria”), the large sculptures represent growth and wisdom. see – Harold Washington Library Center | Chicago Architecture Center – retrieved February 16, 2026. November 2017. Author’s photograph. 5.02 mb.

Designed by Hammond, Beeby & Babka after winning the 1987 competition for Chicago’s new central library. Completed in 1991 and remains one of the firm’s best-known works.

In 1987, Hammond, Beeby and Babka won the competition to design the main branch of Chicago’s library. The Harold Washington Library was completed in 1991 and is one of the Chicago-based architectural firm’s most famous structures. The building recalls neo-classical institutional buildings yet whose style is creatively applied in its details.

PHOTO: “Harold Washington (9519692588)” by City of Boston Archives from West Roxbury, United States is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Harold Washington Library Center (1991) is named in honor of Harold Washington, Chicago’s first Black mayor, whose election in April 1983 reshaped the city’s political landscape. Re-elected in 1987, Washington served until his sudden death later that year, leaving a legacy of reform, civic engagement, and expanded political representation. Today, the building stands not only as a tribute to his leadership but also as one of the world’s largest public library facilities, serving as the principal research branch of the Chicago Public Library.

The Harold Washington Library is named for Chicago’s first Black mayor. Harold Washington (1922-1987) was elected to two terms as mayor starting in 1983. The well-read and erudite mayor died suddenly of a heart attack the day before Thanksgiving in November1987 just a few months into his second term. I was running along the lakefront in Lincoln Park on an overcast day when I heard the news on my Walkman. My fiancée and I were one of the thousands of Chicagoans (and one of the few whites) who passed by his open casket in the lobby of City Hall between November 27 and 29, 1987. I had also seen and heard Harold Washington speak a couple of times during his public appearances as mayor.

FROM THE PROGRAM: “The jury becomes the ultimate client…There are three areas of evaluation: the design of the building; how it meets technical specifications and how it fulfills the library program…•

Five competing architecture teams race to create the vision for the new Harold Washington (Chicago Public Main) Library that opened at 400 S. State Street on October 7, 1991. The Burnham-dreamed park south across Congress/Ida B. Wells from the library never materialized (Pritzker Park is to the north). The NOVA episode follows these creators as they develop and present their ideas to be judged by the city and public for the downtown building that range from postmodern to Beaux-Arts design concepts. FROM THE PROGRAM: “The jury becomes the ultimate client…There are three areas of evaluation: the design of the building; how it meets technical specifications and how it fulfills the library program…•

State Street entrance. Chicago. July 2015. Author’s photograph. 4.84mb

The design recalls neoclassical institutional architecture but reinterprets it through creative postmodern details.

North facade. July 2015. Author’s photograph. 5.01mb DSC_0056 (1)

Southeast corner. July 2015. Author’s photograph. 5.52 mb DSC_0004 (2)

Interior views highlight the building’s function as a major cultural and educational resource, housing millions of items and specialized collections.

Main floor entrance. see – Harold Washington Library | Loop Chicago – retrieved February 16, 2026. May 2015. Author’s photograph. 5.85mb DSC_0474 (1).

The Harold Washington Library houses millions of items across nine floors. At 750,000 square feet, it is the largest public library building in the world. see – Harold Washington Library | Loop Chicago – retrieved February 16, 2026. May 2015. Author’s photograph. 4.0 mb DSC_0476 (1)

Study Room. May 2015. Author’s photograph.4.88mb DSC_0488 (1)

On the 8th floor the Visual and Performing Arts Department maintains a comprehensive music archive. One major collection, for example, is the Martin and Morris Collection which contains roughly 1,500 scores from the renowned gospel music publisher. May 2015. Author’s photograph. 3.61mb DSC_0486.

The photographs document the library from multiple perspectives, emphasizing its urban presence, monumental scale, and role within the Chicago streetscape.

Harold Washington Library after dark. December 2015. Author’s photograph. 3.7mb DSC_0980 (3)

This explanatory article may be periodically updated.

SOURCES:

https://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/architecture-dictionary/entry/hammond-beeby-and-babka – retrieved August 6, 2024.

AIA Guide to Chicago, 2nd Edition, Alice Sinkevitch, Harcourt, Inc., Orlando, 2004, p. 60.

FURTHER READING:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2025/08/02/harold-washington-library-officials-new-chapter-institution?tpcc=cst_cm – retrieved August 4, 2025.