Harold Washington Library Center

Open 7 days a week, the Harold Washington Library Center is the central library for the Chicago Public Library System. Named for former Mayor Harold Washington, it is located just south of the Loop 'L', at 400 S. State Street in Chicago.

Plan Your Visit

At approximately 756,640 square feet (70,294 m2), the Harold Washington Library Center is accessible from the Brown, Orange, Purple Line, and new Pink Line trains at the "Library" stop, as well as from the Blue Line "LaSalle" and "Jackson" stops, and from the Red Line "Jackson" stop.

Art Collection

The Harold Washington Library Center’s large collection of artwork represents many artistic styles, media and subject matter including a rich collection of American art.

Many of the works belong to the Library’s Civil War and American History Collection, including pieces by Lorado Taft and John Antrobus and a cannon used during the Civil War. The collection also contains works installed for the building’s opening in 1991 as part of the city’s “Percent-for-Art” program.

Special Collections and Preservation

Special Collections acquires in a variety of areas relating to the American Civil War, Chicago theater history, Chicago World's Fairs of 1893 and 1933-34, neighborhood history, rare books and manuscripts, Chicago authors and publishers, and the archives of the Chicago Public Library.

In 1991, the Harold Washington Archives & Collections were established to document the political career of Chicago's first African American mayor, Harold Washington. These collections contain nearly 400 linear feet of printed and manuscript material, more than 10,000 photographs, audio and video cassettes as well as artifacts.