Influenced by the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the first permanent home of the Chicago Public Library was designed in the Beaux Arts style by the Boston architectural firm of Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge. It was constructed between 1893 and 1897 at Dearborn Park, a site declared public ground by the Illinois General Assembly.

The building houses a magnificent system of mosaics and glasswork that were designed by Robert C. Spencer and executed by J. L. Holzer, an artist who studied under Tiffany. The Grand Staircase is the central focus of the interior and is made of white Carrara statuary marble with mosaic inlays.

The exterior is a model of massive solidarity with an arcade running along the ground level and colonnades lining the top story under a heavy cornice.

The Chicago Public Library was renovated in the 1970s with designs from the firm of Holabird and Root. It incorporated a community center alongside the library that offered programs, lectures, films, plays, concerts and exhibits.

The library, though, found a new home in 1991 and the building is known today as the Chicago Cultural Center. It is home to many arts programs as well as the offices of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs.

Information Provided by the National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places.