Harold Washington Library, USA

The library, named after Harold Washington, is the largest not only in Chicago but also in the world. This fact allowed the library to get into the Guinness Book of Records. Its area is 70,200 square meters. The library building is an outstanding architectural monument. It may seem at first glance that it is historical. It was built in 1991. The current library collection began to form at the end of the 19th century.

Initially, all the books were stored in the building of the Cultural Center of Chicago. Their number had increased rapidly. The area was no longer enough to store books. The staff of the cultural center decided to take some books to the warehouse. This fact was very much angered by Harold Washington. He announced a competition to build a new building for the public library. The original building in the postmodern style was built according to the results of the competition. Its appearance is the cause of many disagreements and disputes. They do not subside from the moment of completion of construction.

A spectacular building seems very attractive to someone. Others find it tasteless and ugly. It was possible to combine a lot of incompatible, at first glance, elements in the external appearance of the building during construction. Redbrick, various types of granite, polished aluminum, and mirror tiles were used to finish the facade.

Classic arched windows are considered one of the most unusual elements of the building. Massive sculptural compositions in the antique style are fixed on the roof of the building. The library is reminiscent of an ancient temple to many. The architects managed to achieve the main goal in the process of implementing such a bold project. They created ideal conditions for storing the book collection. About 6 million books are stored in the Harold Washington Library today. There are very valuable and rare specimens among them. The storage of books and reading rooms are located in a ten-story building. There are also special halls for holding social events here. Next - Lippo Centre