Books, beautifully housed with care and respect. Light and glass to see through to the world. Clean. As a kid, living low income, I could always walk to one of those polished beautiful libraries to find hope. Don’t analyze this too hard; beauty and books can heal the damaged heart. I found peace in that library to go on.
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As a Chicago architect who works almost exclusively on affordable housing for both seniors and families, I applaud the concept of this Library-Senior Housing strategy, however, I must protest the level of praise that high profile projects, such as these, receive when they greatly skew the expectation and perception of what affordable housing is. To take the Northtown Library as an example - at $34 million, minus the library costs, this is an egregious cost per unit for only 44 affordable senior living units. I am not one to discourage more money per unit, but having toured the units, it was clear that the costs did not go toward the quality of housing for seniors, and in fact the design is in stark contrast to the body of evidence-based research and best practices for senior living. So while the costs were high, the outcomes do not appear to be a higher level of quality. In addition, typical affordable housing costs would (even at a higher level of quality) would typically produce twice the quantity of units at this price point, leaving one to wonder if the money was efficiently spent when we're in the middle of an affordable housing shortage. These buildings speak more toward the image of the architecture firms that designed them, as opposed to the needs of the seniors living in them. In addition, there is little connection between the housing programs and library programs, aside from them being in the same building -- a disappointing resolution to a promising experiment.
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Great idea!
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Libraries have been around forever and books have been its foundation. What is finally being recognized and implemented is the overall concept of what a library is and can be.
These places can be safe, nurturing as well as educational places. I often wondered when the notion of a library would expand and become an "indispensable and bustling neighborhood center and cultural incubator, offering music lessons, employment advice, citizenship training, entrepreneurship classes and English-as-a-second-language instruction as well as places with computers and free broadband access."
Libraries should be learning centers across the board for all ages and not just for reading.
Libraries are my favorite places to spend a few hours to simply lose myself while exploring the collection of cookbooks, art books, and new releases.
Libraries are magical kingdoms, filled with hopes and dreams and excitement. And the city of Chicago is offering keys to these castles to every citizen who wants them.
And people ask me why I love Chicago. The visions and renderings outlined in this fabulous article are just one reason why.
A heartfelt thanks to Mayor Emanuel and Commissioner Brian Bannon!
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I hope the new mayor will address Chicago's major priorities ie. crime, crime and crime.
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ironically missed here is that under Chicago's budget woes neighborhood libraries across Chicago have drastically cut their hours and slashed staff. I applaud the three libraries here but Emmanuel is no friend of librarians or community needs.
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I applaud the community library concept. As a US citizen residing in Jamaica, I know the lifetime importance of literacy. I also know how few bright lights avail themselves of those services even if provided locally and are free. But educate we must, and hope for the best. Here and in the US, such public facilities are utilized in all sorts of unanticipated ways including daycare, boisterous meetings, and as a free WiFi resource for the overwhelming preferred porn, shoot ‘em up movies, as well as long distance WhatsApp calls.
The buildings are stunningly beautiful. These buildings are costly. Perhaps they engender community pride. But if the goal is affordable housing, they fail. Using the numbers in the article, the units stated project cost runs $500k-$750k per unit. And what government project comes in on budget. That’s a lot of money per unit. Square footage data is not given, but assuming a very spacious 2000 sqft apartment, that equates to well over the luxury standard of $200/sqft. One could argue the poor deserve the best, but if the budget is finite, those expensive apartments means fewer can be built. The lucky few denizens of these expensive luxury apartments absorb dollars that could have built a greater number of lower cost apartments.
Surely there must be studies who gets these apartments (politically connected?), and the socioeconomic benefits to the city. The public empathetic motivations are clear, but what are those scarce dollars buying?
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The Independence branch looks nice but there are plenty of design flaws. The front desk is so wide that it forces the librarian to stand up to retrieve every returned book and then sit back down to log it into the computer, then stand up again to get the late fee, sit down to log it in, and stand up again to give change and a receipt. The low shelves in the children's section make a lot of sense. Upstairs in the adult section, they're pretty much a nightmare, especially in a building full of senior citizens. If you really want to browse the titles, be prepared to get down on the floor like the kids. I've been told that the builders have been informed of these problems but don't seem to care.
Rahm seems to think he might be president someday. In Chicago, he would have lost the last mayoral election in a landslide, which is why he decided not to run. This is another step in his PR campaign. What a loser.
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Useful observations! In my area library, the comfortable reading chairs were replaced by some designer's idea of attractive seating but people compete for the few that are actually usable. Also, low shelving is a bane to adults. I wish designers were forced to live with or work with their ideas before they're implemented.
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In the early 1990’s , a group of ladies from Ingersoll Housing Project in Brooklyn teamed up with their counterparts in Brooklyn Heights and took an empty space and turned it into a library at Ingersoll.
Books , shelving and furniture were donated and with elbow grease a space for research , reading and relaxing was open for business.
We ALL knew then that literacy and learning lead to upward mobility.
This was a time when NYC was cloing libraries and the poorer communities were hurt the most.
Building with libraries is a great idea that was too long in coming but I am thankful it is happening.
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SO nice! A similar concept world be great almost anywhere.
We could really use more innovators like Rahm Emanuel in responsible political positions. Trump would put up a monolith of useless overpriced condos and strip even more character from every city if they would let him. Just look at NYC.
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John Ronan was the sole Chicago candidate for the Obama Center and I saw his plans after he lost; I preferred his design. His Poetry Center is ... well, poetry. It's beautiful, functional and environmentally sensitive. I've been there twice for evening programs and it's always a treat to walk in through the entrance with trees growing outside the windows. I'll make a trip over to see the Independence Library soon. Edgewater is my neighborhood library and I concur in the description. At least it has some excellent art from artists like Bill Conger. It is a busy place, well-used and appreciated.
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It is wonderful to read about a successful mixed use building project. In Santa Cruz CA the city is riven by loud voices that are fighting tooth and nail to destroy a library/parking/possible housing plan for a functional new library building. Lies and angry accusations are the order of the day in this oh-so-phony progressive community. Reality is that a very vocal few can spin the tale of any garage somehow being an endorsement of car ownership and a thumb in the eye of the preferred mode of transportation for all: bicycles.
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The City of Milwaukee has been doing this for years.
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As a retired librarian I can only say I hope there are social services on site as well. And day care. Librarians are neither social workers or babysitters.
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Unfortunately, as a long time library patron of some branch or other, I agree with you. I believe kids should be brought to the library to get used to reading and maybe hang out for some activity, but too often I see parents drop their kids off and leave. The kids, of course having not been taught how to behave in the library, proceed to be noisy and run around- they believe it’s an indoor playground or something. The poor librarians then have to shush the kids or tell them to leave, which they may not want to do depending on how young/wild the kids are. I get that poor families need help, but the library is not there to take care of kids- that is what day cares or babysitters or family are for.
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@K Shields
First, it's "Neither, Nor," not as you have it.
The "social worker," "babysitter," comment is sheer nonsense coming from a degree public librarian. The public library, as a tax supported and much maligned government agency has needed "reinventing" for a very long time now. Unfortunately, its destiny has remained in the hands of ignorant local politicians and equally ignorant self-serving individuals in the community. THE idea of a adjunct or branch library in a residential building is a step (and only a step) in redefining the urban public library as a vital service of a COMMUNITY CENTER that includes the offices of police, first aid, planning, parks and recreation, and other community services. THE STAND ALONE LIBRARY IS OBSOLETE. DEAD. By obsessing decades over serving everyone the current library serves no one very well at all. The organization and administration of the NEW LIBRARY remains to be explained and established by its advocates. It's encouraging to see, finally, that some action is now in progress to transform and raise from the ashes a necessary and valued institution to its rightful place as a service agency in our communities. AND THAT MIGHT INCLUDE BABYSITTING AND SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT.
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@K Shields
I understand you.
But, in communities where children may gather, we are all what you call babysitters, in some ways.
Anticipation of that very fact that kids may not be supervised and that they can't be expected to sit quietly for hours, should be built in. And the "supervision" piece should include professionals, and might include a team of volunteers.
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My public housing tower in the 1950s had a small branch library in the basement, with a separate entrance. It was a blessing. I spent a lot of time there.
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Happy to see this approach in my adopted hometown. I must point out, however, that the Edgewater library that the author for some reason finds the need to disparage was opened in 2013, nearly 2 years after Rahm became mayor and after the latter Daley's term was over.
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@Meghan The project began during Daley's term.
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It does not matter how the working poor are housed, because the problems arise from a system that allows people who work over 40 hours a week to be poor in the first place.
Tower in the park projects are certainly ugly, but they never ended up with many of the social ills in places like Denmark or Sweden. Go to Stockholm and see for yourself the massive housing projects that are as much of an eyesore as Cabrini Green or any cluster of Section 8 high rises. The key difference is that trade unions have secured a high living wage for its residents, the State provides high-quality health and community services within the heart of each neighborhood, and the buildings are renovated every 10 years.
This is just another all-too-American attempt to ignore the real issue at hand.
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@Nate Housing is important, so don't say it makes no difference. What would also make a difference is children coming from stable two parent homes, not the single baby mam drama environment where most of these kids come from. Parents are the biggest influence on their children's lives. It's time that we recognized this. With a loving two parent home, kids will go farther in school and be able to get jobs that pay more money.
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@Alan Snipes -- You won't get a lot of recommendations for this because two parent families, especially a father and a mother, are under fire. It's an inconvenient truth that kids do better in two parent homes, but that is too much of a commentary on single parent homes for the PC brigade.
With luck that will change.
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Libraries can be life-changing to low-income kids. I speak from experience.
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When I finally quit living, the New Orleans Public Library is already set to gain much of my estate. Read, learn, grow!
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@theresa
Me too. And on a visit to Chicago, I remember meeting a woman working, I think, for the state, who told me that when she grew up, she spent long hours on Saturdays at the former Main Library, which was turned into the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center. It was her "safe" space, equipped with everything she needed to fuel her imagination.
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Note that Chicago did it without illegal spot zoning. Inwood Libray was ruthlessly upzoned not because it needed it - 80 apts would have fit under the current zoning- but because the local councilmember was pliable and ignorant of urban planning and the wanted to ram through anything it could get.
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"Good [public] architecture costs more but it pays a dividend over time."
The civilized world now mourns Notre Dame cathedral.
Even Athens' Pantheon still celebrates not only the mythic gods, but Athens "acropolis"--and not just its highest geographical point.
This alone makes Libertarianism foolish.
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@Michael Kubara
That's the Parthenon. The Pantheon is in Rome.
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@Greater Metropolitan Area
Thanks, Pedant.
1
Rural America, outside of the farming economy, is in shambles. Millennials are abandoning the suburbs. Meanwhile, cities are adding population, are the centers of innovation and economic growth. Affordable housing is the greatest challenge.
America’s greatest public institutions are (1) public education; (2) the National Park Service; (3) NASA; (4) public libraries.
Why do we spend $150M each for unnecessary fighter aircraft? Oh right, that pesky military-industrial complex. Climate change is about to inflict greater damage to the American economy than all the world’s bogeymen.
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Love the concept, but seems to be they went the "safe" route to appease local residents who may not want low-income housing near them. All of these except for one say that 100% of the units are low-income elderly. It's easy to sell it to the community when we are talking about old folks. Problem is, the larger population that needs this housing are families with children. As others mentioned, low-income kids would thrive in this environment with easy access to a library and safe space to visit after school along with internet access. Until it supports Chicago families with kids as well, I see this as just a facade to say "see, I helped the poor" while not actually helping some of the most needy in the community.
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I guess what goes around comes around. I lived in the Jane Addams housing project right on Taylor Street from about 1941 to 1951. So now, about 80 after its first building (now demolished) Chicago is doing it again.
For me and my neighbors at that time this project was no different than a regular apartment building. The women in our section swept the stairs and kept the place clean. Libraries in place are a great idea in concept but unless a sense of ownership and pride, 'this is ours', occurs it will revert back to all of the failed housing projects of the past.
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@LondonBreed – Hey Mayor, what do you think about this for San Francisco? What a modern, thoughtful, beautiful approach to our own challenge. Bravo Chicago.
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I live in Chicago and want to thank the NYT for covering these projects, which I haven't read or heard about in the Chicago media.
As someone who tries to get low-income students reading better, I only wish more kids lived in these buildings built on top of libraries.
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I am so happy to read positive news regarding the city of my birth! Chicago is still one of my favorite cities but the past few decades have been alarming. I applaud Rahm Emanuel and the folks at the Chicago Public Library for their vision! This makes sense from a number of perspectives!
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Overall, I think this a grand idea. Providing housing (and essentially an onsite library, full of books, movies, classes, family-friendly events, etc.) for low-income folks.
23
This implementation of adding beautiful, conveniently located libraries to living spaces goes against the typical cost-cutting strategies of cities. Library buildings and functioning are among the first services dropped from a city's budget. Doing so flies in the face of quality-of-life improvements. And, adding libraries supports education in schools and brings together communities. Similarly, architecture in the form of agreeable visual art offers psychological benefits.
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Let's also give some kudos for vision and follow through to Brian Bannon, Commissioner and CEO of Chicago Public Library. He and the entire Chicago Public Library staff and community are to be commended and emulated.
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Finally something I can applaud R, Emmanuel for achieving! However what happened to Southside? I’m frustrated at how often this area where I lived so callously ignored. What about ‘tying’ to abandoned schools? Like Overton Elementary School which was designed by Perkins Will. That said it’s smart (and hopefully successful) urban concept. I’d prefer it to oversized architectural projects like Obama’s Community Center. Which are more about ‘show’ than ‘substance.’
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The Little Italy Branch children's area looks lovely. What I don't understand is the very high book shelf on the right side of the picture. Who can reach the books that are on the top shelf?
As a retired library I often see architects fulfilling their vision rather than looking for ways to make a library practical and safe. I think that beauty and function should and can come together.
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@Christina As a former librarian, I hear you. It always seems to be form over function with architects. But, at least there are some new libraries, new jobs for librarians, and a great place for children and adults to hang out and learn. Kudos to Chicago!
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@Christina All the shelves in the children's area are low.
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@Christina -- Good eye. Those really are high and would be out of reach for me.
What I would like to see is a different way to stack books that would relieve the need to turn one's head 90 degrees to read the spines. I have a very bad neck with limited movement and when I am searching for a book, it hurts! I'm not saying it's all about me - or my neck - it would just be more comfortable and improve the browsing experience. But, yes, I know the way they are stacked is the most efficient of space. It doesn't keep me from going to the library, of course. I'm headed there soon.
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Libraries are a positive force in all societies. The more the merrier for everyone!
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How are these units “affordable” when they are upwards of $500,000 in construction cost? Yes, they are subsidized for the residents but this is a staggeringly inefficient use of public monies. And how is the issue of maintenance handled when there is not private property interest? The same dilapidation awaits that we saw with the large housing projects, just at a smaller scale.
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This is a new model and it may not suffer the demons you suggest. I have worked in public housing and I think this is a great approach. I trust the people of knowledge on this one. And now it is a "green and go" speaking in the NASA parlance.
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Though I fully, completely, and enthusiastically support this concept, I agree concerning the costs cited here. The 34 million dollar project for 44 residents works out to $772,000 per apartment. Subtracting $10 million for an attractive, low cost library building still puts the construction cost figure at over $560,00 per resident! This is what is spent to build luxury housing! Many more desperately needed, nice looking, functional apartments could have been built for the same cost. As someone who is a great supporter of libraries and expanding public housing, it concerns me that anyone would think that the optics of these projects would do anything to convince those who argue against public spending on housing and libraries to do otherwise.
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@Ned Richards
Please recall they are not building on empty lots in the open prairie. In a city, one set of traffic lights is over a million dollars; and one mile of subway is now eight years, 2 billion dollars and counting.
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It’s nice as a pilot project, but everyone needs to understand that improvement of public housing and mitigating the homeless crisis and the general shortage of housing in large urban areas would require a massive scale investment. What is needed are thousands and thousands of new apartments, similar to the large projects pursued in the early decades of the last century (e.g. Peter Stuyvesant town iin NYC). With a few remodelings here and there and a few “low income” apartments negotiated with apartment tower developers local politicians, real estate developers and others can show off their apparent commitment to the cause, but it doesn’t really do much to solve the housing crisis problem.
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@Tom Mix
The 19th century approach (yes, not 20th) already failed in every city in which it was tried, especially Chicago. It would be nice to have developers buy in, but you'll see their incentives reverse the ratio in that case: 7 affordable and 73 market. The homeless are an entirely separate issue from the elderly, the disabled, the working poor and even those very few folks for whom there is still a dole. The Chicago plan her is one smart move for one segment of the population. Another segment may require other moves. One size did not and still does not fit all.
11
I love this approach and see it working in NIMBY strongholds as well. I hope that the idea of supportive services for the affordable housing target population is not lost in the process.
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