Harold Washington Library Centre

The Harold Washington Library just has to be seen to be believed. In 1989 the citizens of Chicago were invited
to vote on the winning design for this "peoples library". The truly democratic result is that the "winning" design
can be said to be totally deserving of its existence having been so completely put to "public tender". I know of no
other building of such recent construction where the people really have been given the chance to approve it. So much of
our public construction is far too important for the future to be just left up to the politicians or city representatives.
The copper flourishes at each corner symbolise imagination, freedom and the fire of awareness that knowledge
must bring...to me anyway. It seems fully a celebration of knowledge and imagination. Hammond, Beeby & Babka
might have intended something quite different, whatever that is I'm glad they realised it.

image © lee-anne raymond