West Loop Chicago Public Library – April 4th Meeting Recap

The West Loop community had an opportunity to learn about the new Fulton-Haymarket Branch of the Chicago Public Library (CPL) on Wednesday, April 4 at Sterling Bay’s space, located at 1034 W. Randolph. This is an initial recap of the meeting. As we receive additional facts from the parties involved in the process – including the presentation from the meeting – we will update this recap accordingly. (Some of the photos herein are of the presentation and they are far from ideal visuals.)

The meeting began shortly after 6 p.m. and lasted until about 7:30 p.m. There were approximately 25 members of the public present, in addition to the meeting hosts:

• Alderman Walter Burnett, 27^th Ward
• Brian Bannon, Commissioner and CEO of Chicago Public Library
• Andrea Telli, Assistant Commissioner, Neighborhood Services of Chicago Public Library
• Maggie Clemons, Central District Chief of Chicago Public Library
• Erin Lavin Cabonargi, Director of Development Services at Sterling Bay
• Brian Lee, Architect and Design Partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

OPENING REMARKS

Ald. Burnett opened the meeting by proclaiming “this is our library.” Ald. Burnett thanked Sterling Bay for donating the space and also, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Commissioner David Reifman for their support in this process.

CPL’s proposed name for this library to be located at 118-122 N. Aberdeen is Fulton-Haymarket Branch. This name caused quite a stir on social media, which Ald. Burnett acknowledged and emphasized that the name is still under review. Sentiment of the meeting attendees largely supported naming the branch “West Loop” after the community. Confirmation on the name is pending.

Brian Bannon then also thanked Sterling Bay, as well as the Chicago City Council who had recently approved the budget for the staffing necessary to operate this branch. Mr. Bannon hailed this 81^st branch of the CPL system as a “historic moment,” citing the fact that “it is extremely rare for a brand new library to be built in a neighborhood these days.”

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Lee and Ms. Cabonargi, previously worked together on the award-winning Chicago Public Library located in Chinatown, which opened on August 29, 2015.

• “It’s not just a repository for books…it’s a neighborhood center,” Mr. Lee said.
• It is a 16,000 sq ft facility (10,000 sq ft on the ground floor) comprised of two buildings that previously were utilized as part of the Harpo Studios campus.
• Occupancy: 447 total (338 open areas/109 community room)
• The space is split between kids area and adult/teen reading area (including computer workstations and a new media space).
• “The design challenge was to unify the two spaces, and make it into one cohesive space,” Mr. Lee said.
• “The goal is to make this a center for information in neighborhood,” continued Mr. Lee.
• “We are thrilled to be here,” said Ms. Cabonargi of Sterling Bay, who donated the space.
• “The building is in perfect shape,” according to Ms. Cabonargi.
• Community spaces on the second level: open area/flex space – 2,100 sq ft, five reservable meeting/study rooms: two conference rooms (approximately 3,500 sq ft)
• Blinderman Construction will perform the renovations (and will exceed DBE goals).
• Work will begin in a few weeks, with the library expected to open as early as the end of 2018 and no later than early 2019.
• Two audience members posed questions about the construction and design of the building. These attendees want to have a much larger hand in the design and development process and made their interests very clear.
• Additionally, the two also expressed concern over the CPL’s ability to implement “current technology.” Mr. Bannon responded to this by stating: “we intend this location to be a flagship digital library.”
• And, one of the questioners requested use of the roof and/or the basement. Costs, however, per Ms. Carbonargi, were described as inhibiting the opportunity to develop either of those areas in the building.

PROGRAMMING

• CPL’s goals for the library (from their strategic plan): “nurture learning, support economic development, create community spaces,” according to Ms. Telli.
• Create a “HO-MA-GO” (hanging out, messing around, geeking out) space for teens with new media, vinyl cutters, 3D printers, recording studio and more. You can learn more about HO-MA-GO programming and how it impacted Chance the Rapper’s life here.
• Books, toys, story-telling area, a tinkering lab for projects and programs in the kids area.
• Hours of operation are TBD. CPL mentioned an 8 p.m. closing time, however, an attendee requested a 10 p.m. closing time to accommodate many professionals who work late and would like to use the library after work.
• Ms. Clemons is in the process of hiring for the branch. Once staff is in place, programming will begin to take shape.
• We welcome your ideas for programming as well as encourage you to voice your thoughts on incorporating the branch into our neighborhood. Please email your feedback and suggestions to info@neighborsofwestloop.com.

 

During the Q&A, Ald. Burnett made a point to say: “I want to thank May Toy, who recognized a change in the proposed usage of the space in a CPL press release a few weeks ago and voiced her concern in support of the community.” You can view the communications Ald. Burnett was referencing in a previous NOWL post. May Toy serves as a Vice-President on the board of NOWL.