Swanky new library shows Chicago's Chinatown is alive and kicking
Curvy, glass-fronted building has rapidly become a hub for a community that grew by a quarter in first decade of 21st century and is thriving, in contrast to Chinatowns in other North American cities, writes Violet Law
This just might be proof that reports of Chinatown's death have been greatly exaggerated.
The Chicago Public Library's ultra-modern Chinatown branch, boasting views of the city's downtown skyline, opened last August.
Costing US$19 million to build and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the architectural firm that erected the city's two tallest commercial towers, the library is the world-renowned local firm's first hometown project in decades.
A triangular, curvilinear glass structure, the design is a delightful departure from the ho-hum, cookie-cutter brick facade that characterises many a public building in the city. It may have helped that feng shui master Jonathan Ng advised on the project, resulting in a cohesive blending of design elements from East and West. The landscaping borrows from traditional and contemporary Chinese design aesthetics, incorporating water, islands and mountains.
"Buildings take their personality from the site and who's going to be using them, and those specific social factors drive the design," says Brian Lee, the SOM architect in charge of the design.