Dates: 1892-1898. Size: 12 linear feet in 25 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. This collection comprises the specifications Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge created for contractors to bid on for the construction of the Main Library for the Chicago Public Library, now known as the Chicago Cultural Center. The specifications show the exact standards contractors were held to when building the new central library, as well as the materials to be used. Many bids have original checks for deposits attached to them and some have additional information about the bidding company included, such as trade catalogs, photographs of proposed machinery, and additional blue prints. [Finding aid]
