Day 52

December 26, 2019

The Chicago Cultural Center, dubbed The People’s Palace, is one of the most stunning buildings in Chicago. Originally built to serve as the Chicago Public Library and as a memorial to the northern soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The Library was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Shepley Rutan and Coolidge, The very same young architects that had recently completed the Art Institute of Chicago. The Beaux Arts structure, a subset of Neoclassical and Greek Revival architecture, was presented to the people of Chicago in October of 1897. Nearly one hundred years later, the central library was moved to a new building across the Loop and the Chicago Cultural Center came to be. Today, entrance to the Cultural Center is free and it hosts a variety of revolving exhibits for the general public to enjoy.

Pictured here is Preston Bradley Hall, which spans the width of the building. This white Carrara marble beauty served as the general delivery room where one would pick up books requested from the library. This incredible space is capped off by what is said to be the largest Tiffany dome in the world. Measuring 38 feet in diameter, it is made of fish scale shaped Tiffany Favrile glass. The top of the dome is adorned by the twelve zodiac signs. At its base, a quote by Joseph Addison reads, “Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.” Perfect for a room where books were delivered to generations of Chicagoans.