Blackstone Library
- Architect
- Solon Spencer Beman
- Year
- 1904
- City
- Chicago, IL
Blackstone Library, formally the T. B. Blackstone Memorial Library, opened in 1904 as a branch of the Chicago Public Library, named for benefactor Timothy Blackstone. Designed by Chicago architect Solon S. Beman and built of Concord granite over two years starting in 1902, it marked the beginning of the CPL branch system as its first dedicated branch.
the building
The only privately funded branch. Of the Chicago Public Library's 79 branches, plus its central library and three regional libraries, Blackstone is the only one built entirely with private funding.
Bronze, mahogany, and a painted rotunda. Inside, the library retains bronze and mahogany furnishings and a rotunda ceiling decorated with themed paintings, serving the Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Oakland communities from its location at 4904 S. Lake Park Ave.
the architect
Solon Spencer Beman was a Chicago architect who designed Blackstone Library, one of his civic commissions in the city.
significance
Blackstone Library is a Chicago Landmark (L-293), designated on January 13, 2011, and celebrated its 100th anniversary of service in 2004.
nearby
- Isidore H. Heller House
- K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple
- Kenwood United Church of Christ
- University Apartments
- Sutherland Hotel
- McGill House