“And because it was built to endure, it looks as
fresh-minted as ever today – a handsomely restored and maintained monument of
cultural pride.”
The Book
In
The
People’s Palace: The Story of the Chicago Cultural Center, author Nancy
Seeger
traces the creation of a permanent public library in
Chicago. Like most aspects of Chicago, the public library was impacted by the
Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Prior to the Fire, the public had access to over
30,000 books in the public reading room. The Fire destroyed the whole
collection; but the generosity of British authors and statesmen formed the
beginning of a new library collection (8,000 books). The collection was temporarily
housed in an old water tank (the book includes a drawing of this) and it soon
grew to over 120,000 books. By 1891, twenty years after the Fire, Chicago had
the largest library system in the United States.
It was at this
point that work began on a permanent home for the library, that would also
serve as a memorial to the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Construction on the Chicago Public Library lasted five years. The building
included five stories, a Greek inspired entrance on the north side, a Roman
inspired entrance on the south side, the world’s largest Tiffany dome, and
mother-of-pearl mosaics. “In this building, at any rate, beauty was to be
everyone’s democratic right.” The building served as Chicago’s central public
library until the new library opened in 1991. In 1994, it was renovated and
reopened as the Chicago Cultural Center. The renovation took great care to
preserve the architectural features and introduce the building to new generations
of patrons.
The People’s Palace is reminiscent of a postcard book, with
thick pages and a horizontal structure. It could easily work as a small coffee
table book. The layout draws the reader’s attention to images and key words,
using a variety of font sizes and backgrounds. The images are photos and
drawings in both black and white and color. There are no chapters, but there
are uniquely designed title pages that tell the reader the content is changing.
When I read a book with minimal text, I often find myself wanting more
information. However, that was not the case with The People’s Palace.
The minimal text works well due to the unique design.
The Place
The Chicago Cultural Center, located right
across the street from Millennium Park, is one of my favorite places downtown
Chicago and one that I tell any new visitors to add to their list of places to
see. I first encountered the Center when my curiosity was piqued by the
exterior architecture. Inside (Washington Street), I was greeted by a marble
staircase, embedded with the names of famous authors. Once I reached the top,
my eyes were drawn upwards to the Tiffany stained-glass dome. To this day, I am
still struck by that staircase and stained-glass dome.
The Center is open every day from 10am to 5pm. Those that wander into
the building have a variety of options to choose from: explore the building on
your own, attend a free public event, walk through the changing art exhibits,
or take a free tour. If you explore on your own, there are several
highlights you don’t want to miss: the marble staircase and stained-glass dome,
the Grand Army of the Republic memorial room, and the architecture throughout
the building. No matter what you choose to do, keep in mind that this grand
building was once the Chicago Public Library and the Tiffany stained-glass dome
once hovered over patrons receiving the books they requested.
