Chicago Public Library and Free Reading Room
Life Span: 1872-1885
Location: SE corner of S LaSalle and W Adams streets
Architect:
Chicago Tribune, January 2, 1873
The Free Library of the City of Chicago, which was yesterday formally opened to the public, is in many respects the most satisfactory of all the gains which which have resulted to Chicago by reason of the fire, since it is not, as is the case with many other things, marred by the recollection of a loss. We have better buildings than those before the fire, and and still we regret those which were destroyed, but we had no public, no free library, and there was no immediate likelihood of the foundation of one. Willing as our citizens generally are to aid in advancing scientific or literary objects, but few of them seemed to recognize the importance of a great public library, and when the first step was taken it was in England, and not in Illinois.
Prior to the fire, the demand for books was partially met by the library of the Young Men’s Association, and that of the Young Men’s Christian Association, while the Historical Society had a large and valuable collection, though not of a very general character. But these were all swept away, and there was but little probability of their restoration for a long time to come, so that, while the need of a library was as keenly felt as ever, the city was the only instrumentality that could speedily supply the want. Immediately after the fire, several English authors and other gentlemen of prominence determined, instead of aiding Chicago in money or supplies, to send relief in a more durable form, by getting together a collection of books which should serve as the nucleus of the free library of Chicago books valuable in themselves, but made especially so by the autographs of their writers. The news of the intention was received here with great gratification, and, at a public meeting held Jan. 8, attended by the best citizens, it was determined to get through Legislature such a bill as would enable the city to establish its library and receive this donation. The Mayor and other gentlemen gave the matter their earnest attention; and, finding that a bill had been introduced into the Legislature, early in the year, to enable cities and villages to establish free libraries, they made that the basis of action, and, after undergoing some slight modifications, it became a law.
Action of the Council.
Early in April, 1873, the Common Council, under the provisions of this law, passed an ordinance providing for the establishment of a public library, and a few fays after the Mayor nominated Messrs. Thomas Hoyne, D. L. Shorey, Julius Roesenthal, William Woodard, S. S. Hayes, Herman Rasier, R. F. Queal, Elliott Anthony, and J. W. Sheahan as the members of the Board, which organized on the 23rd of April, and elected Mr. Hoyne President.
The next question which arose was, as to where the books were to be stored. It was at one time suggested that the General Government should turn over the site of the Post Office to the city in exchange for that portion of Quincy street which it required for the new Custom House, but that project was finally abandoned, and it was decided to fit up the tank of the old reservoir on Adams streets, around which the temporary City Hall had been built. Before the work, was completed, the original scheme was modified, and provisions was made for the erection of a reading room, immediate adjoining the library, which was to be provided with with the prominent daily, weekly, and monthly publications of the world.
The Opening Yesterday.
Although the notion of the intended opening of the rooms had been very brief, a large number of gentlemen were in attendance, and began reading the periodicals and papers. Owing to the fact that the covers for many of the unbound periodicals have not yet been received, many of them cannot as yet be handed over for the inspection of the of the public. At 11 o’clock the audience which had assembled in the capacious and comfortable reading room was called to order by the Hon. Thomas Hoyne.
Among those present were Superintendent of Public Schools Pickard; Inspectors Wilce and Richburg, of the Board of Education; Commercial Prindeville, of the Bard of Public Works; Aldermen Otis, Cannon, Sherwood, Cosy, McGennies, Bailey, Stone, and others; ex-Alderman C. C. P. Holden; William Henry Smith, Agent of the Associated Press; Thomas Moran, Robert Harvey, Colonel Hammond, Judge Tree, Dr. Wickersham, John Lyle King, Cyrus H. McCormick, David A. Gage, General Stiles, Judge Goodkins, Rev. Robert Laird Collier, Rev. W. N. Powers, Judge Rogers, and the Hon. Artemus Carter.
The Land Owner, February 1873
THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY AND FREE READING ROOM.
The great fire of October 9, 1871, having destroyed all the public libraries of the city, a number of Chicago’s more intelligent and enterprising citizens conceived the idea of making a movement looking toward the establishment, upon a broad and liberal basis, of a Free Public Library similar to those enjoyed by most other large cities. In accordance with this desire, a meeting was called in Plymouth Congregational Church on the evening of Monday, January 8, 1872, when a committee was appointed to prepare such legislation as might be needful for the purpose of establishing a Free Public Library in Chicago, and to report such a bill at the earliest moment to a public meeting, to be called by them for that purpose. The result of these initiatory efforts was the passage of a bill by the last Legislature, which authorizes cities and towns to establish and maintain free public libraries and reading rooms. It is under the provisions of this law that the Chicago Public Library is now growing up to be one of the foremost institutions of its kind in the world. The library now being fully organized, and intelligence received by the directors that large donations of books were being made in London, and elsewhere, it became necessary to provide some suitable room where the books could be safely shelved and made available to the public. To meet this require-ment, the Common Council authorized the Board of Public Works to construct a large room in the second story of the temporary City Hall, on the southeast corner of LaSalle and Adams streets, to be used as a reading room. This room is adjoining and connected with the fire-proof brick structure heretofore known as “The Tank,” which we herewith illustrate, and where the books are to be kept until rooms are constructed for their accommodation in the new City Hall. “The Tank” has a capacity to hold 18,000 volumes.
Shortly after the great fire a most magnanimous move was made in London by a number of Chicago’s sympathizers, to collect donations of books from England and other parts of Europe, to be a lueleus for our future library. These donations have already reached some 6,000 volumes, about one-sixth of which have already arrived and been placed upon the shelves of the library, and the remainder are expected soon.
Mr. John Robson, the former efficient librarian of the Young Men’s Association of this city, being in London, has been commissioned by the Directors to represent the interests of the Library in that city, and Mr. W. B. Wicker-sham, a gentleman well qualified for the work, has been appointed librarian in charge of the books and rooms in this city, and has been engaged for the last three months in receiving the books, making an entry of the same in the library registry and placing them upon the shelves, where, as soon as they are properly numbered, they may be read and consulted by the public. It will, however, be some months yet before the books can be taken from the Library.
The Board of Directors hold semi-monthly meetings, in which the time is devoted to arranging the necessary details for the complete organization of the Library. The Land Owner will announce from month to month the more important actions they may take; it will also announce, as soon as the Directors have completed them, the rules and regulations by which the Library will be governed.
The reading room, a capacious room sixty feet square, as seen in our illustration, is now completed and furnished, and is receiving a most excellent assortment of periodicals, papers, etc., while it is constantly filled with patrons of all classes of our citizens.
In his sketches our artist has shown a view of the quaint structure improvised just after the fire as a temporary city hall, towering above which is “The Tank,” the present fire-proof repository of the nucleus of our great library that is to be. To our readers abroad it may be well to explain that “The Tank” was formerly a water reservoir for the South Division of this city, but a new one having been constructed, its base was taken after the fire as a safe repository for the city records, and the temporary city hall built around it.
On April 8, 1872, the Mayor presented to the Common Council the names of the following gentlemen to constitute the first Board of Directors, the nominations being confirmed by the Council: Thomas Hoyne, R. F. Queal, D. L. Shorey, Willard Woodard, S. S. Hayes, J. W. Sheahan, Herman Raster, Elliott Anthony, Julius Rosenthal. In this Board, each division of the city, each occupation, and each leading religious denomination is fairly represented.
On the afternoon of Thursday, May 1872, the Directors met and took the oath of office, and arranged for their respective terms of office, as follows:
- One Year, Messrs. Hoyne, Queal, Shorey.
Two Years, Messrs. Woodard, Anthony, Rosenthal.
Three Years, Messrs. Raster, Sheahan, Hayes.
Thomas Hoyne was elected President of the Board, and it was arranged that the Board should hold semimonthly meetings, which has been done regularly up to the present time.
But as the library grows, it must have better quarters than the old tank. In view of this a proposition has been laid before the United Stites Government to exchange the old post office lot, with the remnant of the old post office building, for the old bridewell lot. This proposition seems to meet with favor, and the exchange will no doubt be authorized by Congress. This will give the best possible location for the Library, and the city will immediately utilize the old post office walls by erecting a magnificent Library building, at once an honor to cur city, and the pride of every citizen.
On the occasion of the formal opening of the Library, the Hon. Thomas Hoyne, its first President, delivered a very able address, which was published in full in the daily press of the following day. We cannot more appropriately close this sketch than to quote the following paragraph, which embodies in its meaning an entire sermon.
“The long night of what is known in history as the ‘Dark Ages’ soon ensued upon the destruction, by an Arabian conqueror, in the seventh century, of all the works collected in the Alexandrian Library. The ‘revival of letters’ followed very soon upon the discovery of the art of printing, which soon brought again to the knowledge of mankind ‘the lost arts.’ The increase of books not only recovered what had been lost, but added a new stimulus to the discovery of the thousand useful inventions which now so materially advance the happiness of our race, and add to the progress of our modern civilization. Commerce cannot afford to be indifferent to the library and the reading room. She, more than others, needs the help of science, which has constantly opened up the paths of her progress and glory. The city has cause to congratulate itself that to-day she crowns her other labors of the rebuilding of her vacant sites since the fire by this work of founding a great public library. This alone gives promise of greater security to property, while it assures, intellectual and moral improvement of all her inhabitants in the future.”
The library is open to the reception of books from all quarters. Many of our best citizens have contributed valuable volumes, which together with those received from abroad already make a very handsome showing on the shelves. But donors will be expected to give something of value. The Library does not want worn-out and valueless tomes upon its shelves. On this point it is necessary to look the gifted horse closely in the mouth, that no cum-brous rubbish may be accumulated.
Excerpted from Hon. Thomas Hoyne’s Address at the Dedication on January 1, 1873:
- The invention of the Mayor came to our aid. And it was found that by his co-operation, with the Board of Public Works, library quarters might be improvised out of the abandoned, and, for some years, useless iron water-tank built some years ago on this lot as a distributing reservoir for the South Division of the city. Being 60 feet in diameter, 30 feet in height, circular in shape, and constructed of iron, it was capable of becoming a fire-proof rotunda, with room to arrange 1,800 volumes of books on shelves; and, as such, it has been transformed into a library by roofing and shelving. If the objection be made by some that that it is placed too high up into the air for convenience—standing as it does upon a solid brick and stonework of rather ostentatious masonry; about 35 feet high,—yet it towers above the city hall, a stern and dark-looking dome of no means proportions, and when considered in connection with its object, it may be regarded as a beacon light upon a hill; a new reservoir of knowledge, instead of water, shedding light and wisdom upon the counsels of the City Fathers. Taking it, however, as it is—a really safe fireproof receptacle or vault for the keeping of books, and in connection with this large room of 54×50, also constructed for us by the Board of Works—we have every reason to be thankful for the present temporay quarters.
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