McKinley Park
About This Library
McKinley Park Branch was dedicated June 11, 1994, replacing a storefront branch.
The architecture features cathedral ceilings, clerestory windows and an award-winning reading garden. McKinley Park Branch is the site of three pieces funded through the Percent for Art Ordinance administered by the City of Chicago Public Art Program: a mural entitled “Seasons Pursuing Each Other” by Amy Yoes, a cotton textile entitled “Park, Past Through Present” by Elizabeth Kuhn and a sculpture entitled “Dervish Revisited” by Leslie Scruggs.
The community and the library are named for the first park developed on the South Side, in 1901. The park was named for President William McKinley.
The community was served by a visiting bookmobile until a storefront branch opened July 8, 1971 at 2021 W. 35th Street, where it remained until 1994.