Opening Days at Chicago Public Library

Chicago Public Library has been opening branches to connect citizens with information and resources for over 150 years. As we open another branch on the campus of the Obama Presidential Center, we're taking a trip down memory lane to previous openings and reopenings of library branches across Chicago. 

Branch openings bring out local dignitaries. In Photo 1, Alderman (and former library employee) John Toman, namesake of Toman Branch, is situated next to the wreath in this photo taken in 1927. The library board members and Commissioner Carl B. Roden, are lined up to the other side of the wreath. 

Commissioner Roden still held that position in 1930, when the Austin Branch opened. He's here in Photo 2 along with Olive Pillsbury (librarian) and Henry W. Austin (banker, state politician and namesake of the neighborhood) as well as members of the library board.

In this famous picture (Photo 3) of the George Cleveland Hall Branch opening, Vivian G. Harsh, Chicago's first Black branch head and for whom the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection is named, stands in the center making sure things run smoothly in 1932.

When Hall Branch reopened after renovations in 1984, it was a community event. At the same desk where Vivian G. Harsh stood, Commissioner Amanda Rudd greeted patrons in Photo 4. The CPL Adventure Machine was on hand in Photo 5, as was the Cat in the Hat and a local marching band in Photo 6.

Sometimes branches opened in storefronts, like Mayfair Branch in 1942 (Photo 7). Mayfair would open in its current, stand-alone building in 1996.

The Edgewater Branch opening was a festive occasion in 1973. Long-serving Mayor Richard J. Daley gave a speech in Photo 8 and kids cavorted on the pavement outside in Photo 9. 

Mayor Richard M. Daley oversaw a period of growth in the building and renovation of branches. The opening of the Lozano Branch (largely the work of Mayor Harold Washington) in 1989 drew a large crowd even in the rain (Photo 10). A buffet was served and there was also traditional dance as part of the festivities as in Photo 11. 

The opening of the new Chinatown Branch building in 1990 was another such event. A dragon hammed it up for the cameras (Photo 12), then accepted the offering of an orange from Alderman Fred Roti in Photo 13. In Photo 14, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Library Commissioner John Duff greeted patrons on the occasion.

Branch openings really do bring out the celebrities. Here at Vodak/East Side Branch's reopening in December 1993 (Photo 15), Santa Claus himself welcomed patrons back to the building.

Libraries exist for both the old and the young. At the opening of the Independence Branch in 1995, Librarian Margaret Dunne and First Deputy Commissioner Karen Danczak Lyons helped young visitors with puzzles (Photo 16), and two small patrons made friends in Photo 17.

It's always good when a library branch opens. It gives the community a chance to gather and celebrate, as well as long term opportunities for education and enrichment. The branch on the Obama Center campus is another such opportunity. If you'd like to see more photos in the Branch Library Photographs, please make an appointment in Special Collections at Harold Washington Library Center.