Chicago's West Loop neighborhood celebrated the inauguration of its very first public library last Thursday. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the two-story library — which is the City of Chicago's 81st branch — was once part of the Harpo Studios campus and was donated to the city by Sterling Bay, as part of the West Loop's ongoing development.

Originally formed by two conjoined buildings, the 16,500 square-foot library preserves the building's industrial character with its weathered steel exterior and renovated interiors that reintroduce the building's original bow-truss ceilings and skylights to create a warm, loft-like space. 

The library's entrance shows off a quote by 13th-century Persian poet Rumi that serves as the central narrative of the library's design: “Raise your words, not your voice; It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” The quote “serves as the inspiration for the words and stories that create a unified design for the library,” SOM describes.

Three new openings that were added in the original parti-wall of the conjoined buildings unify the interior, while low-level bookshelves create visual continuity and movement.

Featuring playful linework graphics and inspirational quotes from famous literary works throughout its interior, the library comprises of reading spaces for all ages, community and meeting rooms on the second floor, and a YOUmedia teen digital learning space with a recording studio. Younger children can explore the “Tinkering Lab” digital learning space, or interactive storytelling rooms that feature walls with magnetic and writeable surfaces.

“By preserving the original building structure and carefully adapting it for the much-needed community library, the West Loop Branch is at the center of this Chicago story. It creates a key neighborhood hub and serves as a warm and welcoming public destination for visitors from all parts of Chicago,” says SOM Design Partner Brian Lee.

Find more project photos in the gallery below.