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23-580: With the conversion of Chicago's former central library into the Chicago Cultural Center in 1977, a long-term temporary central library was opened in the Mandel Building at 425 North Michigan Avenue and much of the library's collection was put into storage. A debate on a new central library ensued and continued throughout most of the 1980s, frustrated by a lack of funding. Upon his election in 1983, Mayor Harold Washington supported

46-424: A granite base. The building is designed in a generally neoclassical style, with Italian Renaissance elements. It is capped with two stained-glass domes, set symmetrically atop the two wings. Key points of architectural interest are as follows: The Chicago Cultural Center underwent an extensive renovation during 2021–2022 with the goal of unearthing the original beauty of the building. The meticulous restoration of

69-585: Is a Chicago Landmark building operated by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Cultural Center houses the city's official reception venue, where the Mayor of Chicago has welcomed presidents, royalty, diplomats, and community leaders. It is located in the Loop , across Michigan Avenue from Millennium Park . Originally the main library of the Chicago Public Library ,

92-566: Is a room in a building used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer , reception area or entrance hall , it is often a large room or complex of rooms (in a theatre , opera house , concert hall , showroom , cinema , etc.) adjacent to the auditorium . It may be a repose area for spectators, especially used before performance and during intermissions , but also as a place of celebrations or festivities after performance. In other buildings, such as office buildings or condominiums, lobbies can function as gathering spaces between

115-647: Is considered one of the most comprehensive arts showcases in the United States . Each year, the Chicago Cultural Center features more than 1,000 programs and exhibitions covering a wide range of the performing, visual and literary arts. It also serves as headquarters for the Chicago Children's Choir . The building was designed by Boston architectural firm Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge for the city's central library, and Grand Army of

138-586: Is just east of the CTA 's Harold Washington Library–State/Van Buren station, served by the Brown , Orange , Pink and Purple Lines . The corridor goes east, then south, then west, and opens south to the lobby. The east and south public entrances open directly to the lobby. The west public entrance opens to the offices. The west corridor goes east then south to open at the lobby. Notes Chicago Cultural Center The Chicago Cultural Center , opened in 1897,

161-722: The Mannerist style. In 1993, the roof was ornamented with seven large, painted aluminum acroteria designed by Kent Bloomer with owl figures by Raymond Kaskey. The acroterium on the State Street side depicts an owl , a symbol of knowledge due to its association with the Greek goddess Athena . The acroteria on the Congress Parkway (now Ida. B. Wells Drive) and on the Van Buren sides contain seed pods, which represent

184-549: The Republic (GAR) meeting hall and memorial in 1892. The land was donated by the GAR and the building was completed in 1897 at a cost of nearly $ 2 million (equivalent to $ 73.25 million in 2023). It is organized as a four-story north wing (77 East Randolph entrance) and a five-story south wing (78 East Washington entrance), 104 ft (32 m) tall, with 3-foot-thick (0.91 m) masonry walls faced with Bedford Blue Limestone on

207-527: The SEBUS coalition, whose postmodern design by Hammond, Beeby and Babka took elements from nearby historic buildings. Notably, Jahn's design was to have arched over Van Buren Street onto the area that is now occupied by Pritzker Park, incorporating a new elevated station on Chicago's Loop . These elements were deemed too expensive, along with the rest of Jahn's design, so the Hammond, Beeby and Babka design won

230-399: The architecture of the library. Five prominent entries were chosen from design-build coalitions of architects and contractors, representing designs by VOA Associates in collaboration with Arthur Erickson ; Hammond, Beeby & Babka; Murphy/Jahn , Lohan Associates, and SOM . The entries were narrowed down to two finalists: The Chicago Library Team with Helmut Jahn's glassy, modern design, and

253-727: The art glass dome and decorative finishes in the Grand Army of the Republic rooms, a Civil War memorial, was made possible by a grant of services valued at over $ 15 million to the City of Chicago. The Chicago Cultural Center is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes. Chicago-based Harboe Architects, a leading firm in historic preservation, was awarded the project. The scope of the project included recreating long-lost light fixtures, cleaning and polishing old marble, restoring mahogany doors, installation of new glass, and restoration teams performed many meticulous hours removing layers of paint in

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276-475: The building was converted in 1978 to an arts and culture center at the instigation of Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg . The city's central library is now located across the Loop in the spacious, postmodern -style Harold Washington Library Center , which opened in 1991. As the nation's first free municipal cultural center, the Chicago Cultural Center is one of the city's most popular attractions and

299-485: The building's completion in 1991, the new mayor, Richard M. Daley , named the building in honor of the now-deceased former mayor Harold Washington, an advocate of reading and education among Chicagoans as well as an advocate of the library's construction. Before 1872, Chicago had mainly private libraries. England responded to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by donating over 8,000 books to the city, which became

322-502: The competition. The architectural models that the entrant teams created are located on the eighth floor of the Harold Washington Library Center, except the SEBUS entry, which is located in the ninth floor Special Collections. With the support of Harold Washington and Chicago's wealthy Pritzker family , ground was broken at the chosen site at Congress Parkway and State Street, covering an entire block. Upon

345-468: The construction of a new central library. After the turmoil of four mayoral administrations in a seven-year period, finally, in 1986 during Washington's tenure, the city and the Library Board picked a location and floated a $ 175 million bond issue to provide funds for the new building, as well as the entire citywide library branch system. In 1987, a design competition was held by the city to decide on

368-504: The cultural center, the piece is an homage to women who have contributed to the culture of Chicago. Portrayed are: Washington painted the mural on a scale rendering of the building. The piece was then transposed to the actual façade by the muralist Jeff Zimmerman. Financing for the project was made possible by the non-profit, Murals of Acceptance and through philanthropic donations from David Arquette , Patricia Arquette , Marc Benioff , and Lynne Benioff. Lobby (room) A lobby

391-471: The entrance and elevators to other floors. Since the mid-1980s, there has been a growing trend to think of lobbies as more than just ways to get from the door to the elevator but instead as social spaces and places of commerce. Some research has even been done to develop scales to measure lobby atmosphere to improve hotel lobby design. Many office buildings , condominiums , hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create

414-544: The foundation of the first public library. This collection was housed in a variety of locations, until the Central Library was built in 1891. The Harold Washington Library opened on October 7, 1991. Since completion, the library has appeared in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest public library building in the world. In 2013 the architect and chairman of Hammond, Beeby and Babka, Thomas H. Beeby , won

437-456: The historic rooms. Also included in the scope was the complete restoration of the 40 ft (12 m) diameter Tiffany-designed stained glass dome, which had become covered in grime and paint. The dome contained over 60,000 individual pieces of glass to be restored. Daprato Rigali Studios of Chicago performed the stained-glass dome restoration. Crossroads: Modernism in Ukraine, 1910-1930

460-491: The natural bounty of the Midwest . The acroteria angularia each contain an owl perched in foliage. On the divide between the granite blocks and the brick portions are wall medallions that have the face of Ceres and ears of corn. On the north, east and south sides of the build are five story tall arched windows. Between the windows are rope friezes. All public doors lead to the lobby . The north public entrance on Van Buren

483-614: The prestigious Driehaus Architecture Prize for this and other projects. The exterior evokes the design of the Rookery , Auditorium and the Monadnock buildings. The bottom portion is made of large granite blocks. Red brick makes up the majority of the exterior. These two portions draw on the Beaux-Art style. The pediments and most of the west side facing Plymouth Court are glass, steel and aluminum with ornamentation hearkening to

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506-864: Was a display of art by Ukrainian artists, such as Sukher Ber Rybak, Vsevolod Maskymovych, and Oleksandr Bohomazov, to name a few. Crossroads was organized by the Foundation for International Arts and Education with the National Art Museum of Ukraine . It was presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Kyiv Committee of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program. The exhibition ran from July 22, 2006 until October 15, 2006. Richard Hunt : Sixty Years of Sculpture

529-407: Was a major exhibition of sixty sculptures spanning Hunt's career. The exhibition drew primarily from his extensive "self-collection", lent to the center for the show. This exhibition ran from December 6, 2014, through March 29, 2015. In 2017, Kerry James Marshall was commissioned to produce an inaugural mural for a public arts program. The mural entitled "Rush More" is located on the west façade of

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