EMILY STANCLIFF
This is a figure ground drawing of the Harold Washington Library Center in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. The Library was named after Harold Washington, a lawyer and politician who became the first African American mayor of Chicago from 1983-1987 before his untimely death in 1987 of a heart attack. This area is home to some of the most famous buildings and parks in Chicago; including Willis Tower, Grant Park, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The orange circle focuses on the Harold Washington Library, which takes up the whole city block.
This aerial view shows the city block between Ida B. Wells Drive (south) and South State Street (east). The highlighted building shows the Harold Washington Library in all of its glory as juxtaposed by the adjacent skyscraper-style buildings. The library is on the smaller-side: 125’ at the cornice line and 182’ at the top of the vaulted roof with 10 floors above ground. To its north, Pritzker Park features a permanently green-spaced area in the city, built specifically to compliment the Library.
This axonometric shows key characteristics of the urban fabric of this block between
Ida B. Wells Drive (south),
South State Street (east), and the metro line (north). Most of this area is hardscaped featuring brick pedestrian walkways, concrete sidewalks, and asphalt roads. The sidewalks are broken up by small landscaped beds and raised planters. The only softscape of the block comes from Pritzker Park, shown in dark gray to the north of the building. This particular angle was chosen to show how the architecture of the building informs and shapes the streetscape below, with a particular emphasis on symmetry, coordinating materials, and a sense of human-scaling with the use of trees and doorways.
When originally choosing this block, I was intrigued by this carefully designed building with an under-used outdoor space. Interested in seeing how this commercialized space came about, I sifted through its complexities through this Actor-Network Map. The resulting Actor-Network Map shown here details an exploration into the history of this particular block, emphasizing the controversies surrounding the building, the historical context of this site and adjacent ones, and a look at public access.
The gif set shown here details a reimagined vision of this site in both daytime and nighttime hours. New “events” include a greenway, green space for relaxation and play, a dance stage, and the street corner’s use for nighttime street vendors. The additional features of flags being hung from the metro line, a pigeon perching on the lights, a car and metro train, an increased diversity of people, and lighting within the trees creates a more engaging atmosphere that is people-friendly, rather than focusing on vehicular traffic, although still present. By reimagining this space, we can witness the transformation of this commercialized space to a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. Within the library stands a quote from T.S. Eliot that says, “The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.” If we can make the outside as beautiful as the ideas within the library, then the city of Chicago may yet have hope for its own future.