Henry E. Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library

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Henry E. Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library
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Location115 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates 41°52′46″N87°43′31″W / 41.87944°N 87.72528°W / 41.87944; -87.72528
Arealess than one acre
Built1919 (1919)
Architect Alfred S. Alschuler
Architectural style Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No. 86003169 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 6, 1986

The Henry E. Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library, also called the Legler Library, the Legler Regional Library, or the Legler Branch, is a branch of the Chicago Public Library located at 115 S. Pulaski Road in the West Garfield Park community area of Chicago, Illinois. [2] The library was built in 1919 and opened on October 11, 1920; it was the first regional library in Chicago. Chicago architect Alfred S. Alschuler designed the building in the Beaux Arts style. [3] A Works Progress Administration mural in the library depicts Jacques Marquette and Native American traders during Marquette's visit to the Chicago area. [3]

The Legler Library originally served an affluent Jewish community. However, as the demographics of West Garfield Park shifted, it ultimately came to serve a poor and underprivileged African-American population. The Chicago Public Library removed the Legler Library's status as a regional library in 1977, at a time when circulation was dropping at the library. [4] The branch was rededicated in 1993 following a renovation. [2]

The library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 6, 1986. [1]

In 2019 the library regained regional status and completed a renovation. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Legler: About This Library". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Gray, Mary Lackritz (2001). A Guide to Chicago's Murals. University of Chicago Press. p. 520. ISBN   9780226305998.
  4. ↑ Brotman, Barbara (June 13, 1985). "Legler Library Offers Patrons A Vestige Of Hope". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  5. ↑ Henderson, Audrey (October 1, 2019). "The Rebirth of a Regional Library". Belt Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2021.


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