Little Italy Branch
🏢 Chicago Public Library — Chicago, Illinois
Little Italy Branch
Wrapped in terracotta-toned corrugated metal that nods to Taylor Street's old red brick, the Little Italy Branch shares its building with 73 apartments as one of the first co-located library-and-housing developments in the United States.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 12 PM – 8 PM |
| Tuesday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 12 PM – 8 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM – 6 PM |
| Friday | 9 AM – 5 PM |
| Saturday | 9 AM – 5 PM |
| Sunday | 1 PM – 5 PM |
Hours may vary on holidays.
📍 Location & Contact
Address: 1336 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 746-5656
Website: chipublib.org
📖 About Little Italy Branch
The Little Italy Branch traces its roots to 1891, when Chicago Public Library opened Reading Room No. 5 inside Jane Addams' Hull House on the Near West Side. Renamed the Roosevelt Branch in 1924, the library moved among sites near Taylor Street, Roosevelt Road and Halsted Street before settling at 1101 W. Taylor Street in 1998. In 2019 it relocated a few blocks east to 1336 W. Taylor Street and reopened as the Little Italy Branch, part of an innovative partnership between the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Housing Authority to co-locate affordable housing with library service. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with developer Related Midwest, the 14,000-square-foot branch occupies the ground floor of the Taylor Street Apartments, whose 73 mixed-income units rise above it, and its south and east walls of floor-to-ceiling glass flood an open, wall-free reading room with daylight. Today the single-level branch serves Little Italy, University Village, Tri-Taylor and the Illinois Medical District with a children's area and a Little Italy YOUmedia space for teens.
⭐ What makes this branch special
- One of the first co-located public library and affordable-housing developments in the United States, sharing a building with 73 apartments
- Descends from an 1891 Hull House reading room and the century-old Roosevelt Branch
- Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with terracotta-toned metal cladding and glass walls that fill the reading room with natural light
- Home to a Little Italy YOUmedia space and a dedicated children's area on a single open floor
📱 Free with a Chicago Public Library Card
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Little Italy Branch share its building with apartments?
The branch opened in 2019 as one of the first co-located library-and-housing projects in the United States, a partnership between the Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Housing Authority. The 14,000-square-foot library occupies the ground floor of the Taylor Street Apartments, a 73-unit mixed-income building with 37 CHA units, 29 affordable units and 7 market-rate units above it.
Is the Little Italy Branch the same library that used to be the Roosevelt Branch?
Yes. Library service here began in 1891 as Reading Room No. 5 at Hull House, was renamed the Roosevelt Branch in 1924, and operated at 1101 W. Taylor Street from 1998. In 2019 the branch moved a few blocks to 1336 W. Taylor Street and reopened under the name Little Italy Branch.
Who designed the Little Italy Branch building?
The Taylor Street Apartments and Little Italy Branch Library were designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in collaboration with developer Related Midwest. The design uses corrugated metal cladding in a terracotta tone inspired by the neighborhood's red brick, with large glass panes on the south and east facades to bring daylight into the open library floor.