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]
Henry E. Legler Regional Branch of the Chicago Public Library | |
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| Location | 115 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 41°52′46″N 87°43′31″W / 41.87944°N 87.72528°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1919 |
| Architect | Alfred S. Alschuler |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 86003169[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 6, 1986 |
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
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Legler: About This Library". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Gray, Mary Lackritz (2001). A Guide to Chicago's Murals. University of Chicago Press. p. 520. ISBN 9780226305998.
- ^ Brotman, Barbara (June 13, 1985). "Legler Library Offers Patrons A Vestige Of Hope". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Henderson, Audrey (October 1, 2019). "The Rebirth of a Regional Library". Belt Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2021.