HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY
Library in Chicago, IL · 400 S. State St. · 60605
At a glance
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY is a 756,640-square-foot library at 400 S. State St. in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1991. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 79.2 kBtu/ft² and 8,380 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 79.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 221.6 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 8,380 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 11.1 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 17,551,498 kWh |
| Gross floor area | 756,640 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:157964:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 79.2 kBtu/ft² | 8,380 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 86.4 kBtu/ft² | 8,610 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 81.9 kBtu/ft² | 8,853 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 78.0 kBtu/ft² | 9,208 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 84.8 kBtu/ft² | 10,679 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 84.1 kBtu/ft² | 10,581 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 84.4 kBtu/ft² | 11,814 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 85.7 kBtu/ft² | 11,956 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 94.2 kBtu/ft² | 14,323 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 96.0 kBtu/ft² | 14,549 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
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Location
- Address
- 400 S. State St.
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.90017, -87.62082
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY compare with other library buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 8 library buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 79.2 kBtu/ft² is about 30% below the average of 113.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 11.1 kgCO₂e/ft² is roughly in line with the group average of 10.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 756,640 sq ft, it is about 193% above the average floor area of 258,320 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1991, 23 years later than the group's average year built (1968).
How has HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY, covering report years 2014–2023. Site EUI moved from 96.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 79.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 17% decrease. Reported emissions went from 14,549 tCO₂e to 8,380 tCO₂e over the same span (down 42%).
What does a site EUI of 79.2 kBtu/ft² mean?
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY's 79.2 kBtu/ft² across 756,640 sq ft works out to about 59.9 billion Btu (17,563 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 221.6 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 17,551,498 kWh of electricity for the year.
Which law requires HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY to report its energy use?
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:157964:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More library buildings in Chicago
- Regenstein Library· 604,950 sq ft · EUI 168.2 kBtu/ft²
- Newberry Library· 200,000 sq ft · EUI 110.4 kBtu/ft²
- Crerar Library· 168,656 sq ft · EUI 103.0 kBtu/ft²
- Cudahy Library-ID#254164· 124,285 sq ft · EUI 62.8 kBtu/ft²
- SULZER LIBRARY· 83,000 sq ft · EUI 77.4 kBtu/ft²
- WOODSON REGIONAL LIBRARY· 65,000 sq ft · EUI 104.0 kBtu/ft²
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY's energy grade?
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 79.2 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 79.2 kBtu/ft² (221.6 kBtu/ft² source) across 756,640 sq ft, including 17,551,498 kWh of electricity.
What are HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY's carbon emissions?
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY reported 8,380 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (11.1 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY?
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY is at 400 S. State St., in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.90017, -87.62082 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY and when was it built?
HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY has 756,640 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1991 as its year built. It is classed as library.
Is HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “HAROLD WASHINGTON LIBRARY, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/harold-washington-library-29127c41 (data as of October 2, 2026).