Address: 78 E. Washington St. Year Built: 1897 Architect: Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: November 15, 1976

This is the first permanent structure of the city's public library system. Designed to be a grand civic building, its Classical Revival-style exterior appearance and its interior spaces are based on classical Greek and Italian Renaissance precedents. The interior is extensively decorated with mosaics, marbles, bronze, and two stained-glass domes designed by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. The building's architect was the Boston firm that succeeded the office of Henry Hobson Richardson, designer of the Glessner House.

Great Interiors The Loop Boul Mich
1.	Washington and Michigan Ave. Elevations, circa 1900
2.	Illuminated Dome, photo by James R. Norris/Holabird & Root
3.	Grand Staircase, 1976, photo by Barbara Crane