Chicago Public Library West Loop Branch | Photo © Tom Harris
Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has converted buildings in a former industrial district into a public library in Chicago, where original brick walls and bow trusses are on full display.
The West Loop Branch library is named after its location in the city’s West Loop neighbourhood – a former industrial area that is now brimming with residential towers, office buildings, restaurants and shops – and marks the first public library in the area.