For 41 years, the Carter G. Woodson library has stood on the southeast corner of 95th Street and Halsted and houses the Midwest’s largest collection of black literature, including the Vivian G. Harsh Collection. Yet, despite this rich history and artifacts such as original manuscripts from Black authors and official records dating back to slavery, the library named after the man many credit as being the father of Black History Month saw no plans of restoration.
For nearly 14 years, scaffolding has surrounded the building, growing in size to help keep the building sound until it receives its’ “new skin,” as Melvin Thompson, Executive Director of the Endeleo Institute says. The Endeleo Institute – a project that was born through Trinity Church of God and Christ – began to spearhead a campaign in 2013 to have the City of Chicago and the Chicago Public Libraries to renovate the regional library and restore the facility back into the gem that it is for the Southside neighborhood.
