CPL – Northtown Branch – 6800 N. Western (West Ridge)
Our apartment in West Ridge finally went though and, naturally, one of the first places we went was the library. We don’t yet have the necessary ID to get library cards but that didn’t stop us from going to check out what will be our home library, which, I’m excited to say, is less than a ten minute walk away.
The Northtown Branch of the Chicago Public Library sits at the corner of Western and Pratt avenues. Opening this past March it is only about three months old and parts are still being finished.
The sleek building, built by the firm of Perkins+Will, is one of three library/apartment complexes that has come out of a partnership between the CPL and the Chicago Housing Authority. The other two being the Independence Branch and Apartments, and the Little Italy Branch and Apartments.
The Northtown Branch isn’t huge but has a nice open layout, with a big focus on children and teens. Our favorite bit is the comfy reading nooks for kids, as well as one large one for adults. While the first floor is occupied by the library, the upper floors consist of 44 one-bedroom senior housing units, which is pretty cool.
I’m excited to (soon) call this library home and get my hands on that (pardon me, channel 11), window to the world that is a library card.
Links
- Chicago Public Library – Northtown Branch
- Chicago Mayor’s Press Office, “Mayor Emanuel, Chicago Public Library and Chicago Housing Authority Open Northtown Library Branch,” March 5, 2019
- Curbed Chicago, “Work to begin on new Perkins+Will Northtown Branch library and apartments,” January 2, 2018
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