The City of Chicago has put up some fine public libraries recently. But it’s not the only burg in the ‘land investing in knowledge repositories. West suburban Saint Charles has big plans, and it’s brought in Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects to help.
SNHA recently shared its vision for the almost $19 million renovation and expansion of the Saint Charles Public Library expected to start next month.
The project includes a new building entrance, a new public meeting room, a maker space, a sunken courtyard, and a drive-through window.
The current library has been renovated a number of times since the first portion of it was erected in 1908. It was one of over 2,500 libraries around the world funded by Andrew Carnegie between 1883 and 1929. 111 of them were in Illinois. Sixty-seven of those are still standing and still being used as libraries.
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Rendering of the Saint Charles Public Library (Courtesy of SNHA) -
Rendering of the Saint Charles Public Library (Courtesy of SNHA) -
Rendering of the Saint Charles Public Library (Courtesy of SNHA) -
Rendering of the Saint Charles Public Library (Courtesy of SNHA)
Location: 1 South 6th Street, Saint Charles
Editor founded the Chicago Architecture Blog in 2003, after a long career in journalism. He can be reached at chicagoarchitectureinfo@gmail.com.
