The Library Book

In 1973, over 1,500 Central Library staff members signed a petition claiming that the library “was a hazardous work environment” (249). The building had 26 fire code violations. Repairs and expansion were held up by money. The tasks would cost nearly $150 million. In the early-1960s, a Chicago developer tried to solve the problem by introducing the idea of air rights. Air rights were approved in 1986. A real estate developer bought the library’s air rights for $28.2 million. He used the space to build two skyscrapers near the library—one of which became the tallest building on the West Coast. The funds from this sale allowed for the construction of another wing of the library. Around the time that the new wing was built, the Goodhue Building was holding “five times as many books as it was built to hold” (250). The new wing would provide space for the additional books.

After selling both its air rights and its underground space, the city council still lacked a third of the money necessary to fund the new construction. Philip Morris, the tobacco company, offered the additional revenue, believing that the corporation would get a substantial tax reduction for investing in the restoration of a historic building.