The current main branch of Chicago's public library system, here shown under construction, opened in 1991, almost a century after the building it succeeded, which is now the Chicago Cultural Center, located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Randolph Streets. The new library, designed by Hammond, Beeby and Babka, is situated at State Street and Congress Parkway, and was a significant step in the effort to rejuvenate the South Loop.

Photographer: John McCarthy
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-38003)