Illinois State Library, Gwendolyn Brooks Building, Springfield
A view looking northeast from the Capitol grounds toward the Illinois State Library. S. 2nd Street is in the foreground with E. Capitol Ave. heading eastward on the right.
The Illinois State Library was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White to harmonize with the other buildings in Springfield's Capitol complex. Construction began in late 1985 and was completed in 1990 at a cost of $36 million.
The exterior features Indiana limestone set over a base of granite highlighted by a fourth-floor frieze etched with the names of 35 of Illinois' most distinguished authors. Among those whose names have been etched in granite are Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandberg, Upton Sinclair, Jane Addams, L. Frank Baum, Ray Bradbury, and Abraham Lincoln. Each of the 35 authors whose name is etched in stone has made a mark in the history of literature as well as the history of Illinois.
On June 6, 2003, the Illinois State Library building was rededicated and named in honor of the late poet, novelist and lecturer Gwendolyn Brooks Born in 1917, she is regarded as one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, and was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize. In 1968, she was named Illinois Poet Laureate, succeeding Carl Sandburg, and served in that capacity until her death in 2000.
The Illinois State Library was conceived in 1839 by Secretary of State, Stephen A. Douglas. Over the years it has been housed in the Old State Capitol Building, current State Capitol Building, Centennial Building, and now this building. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, dedicated in 1889, can also be seen in this photo on the left.
Illinois State Library, Gwendolyn Brooks Building, Springfield
A view looking northeast from the Capitol grounds toward the Illinois State Library. S. 2nd Street is in the foreground with E. Capitol Ave. heading eastward on the right.
The Illinois State Library was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White to harmonize with the other buildings in Springfield's Capitol complex. Construction began in late 1985 and was completed in 1990 at a cost of $36 million.
The exterior features Indiana limestone set over a base of granite highlighted by a fourth-floor frieze etched with the names of 35 of Illinois' most distinguished authors. Among those whose names have been etched in granite are Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandberg, Upton Sinclair, Jane Addams, L. Frank Baum, Ray Bradbury, and Abraham Lincoln. Each of the 35 authors whose name is etched in stone has made a mark in the history of literature as well as the history of Illinois.
On June 6, 2003, the Illinois State Library building was rededicated and named in honor of the late poet, novelist and lecturer Gwendolyn Brooks Born in 1917, she is regarded as one of the most influential poets of the 20th century, and was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize. In 1968, she was named Illinois Poet Laureate, succeeding Carl Sandburg, and served in that capacity until her death in 2000.
The Illinois State Library was conceived in 1839 by Secretary of State, Stephen A. Douglas. Over the years it has been housed in the Old State Capitol Building, current State Capitol Building, Centennial Building, and now this building. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, dedicated in 1889, can also be seen in this photo on the left.