Harper Library
Social/Meeting Hall in Chicago, IL · 1116 East 59th Street Chicago, Il 60637 · 60637
At a glance
Harper Library is a 119,311-square-foot social/meeting hall at 1116 East 59th Street Chicago, Il 60637 in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1912. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 103.7 kBtu/ft² and 1,009 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 103.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 158.9 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,009 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 8.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 818,187 kWh |
| Water use | 2,725 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 119,311 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:252045:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 103.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,009 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 102.1 kBtu/ft² | 967 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 103.2 kBtu/ft² | 995 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 87.9 kBtu/ft² | 908 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 72.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,292 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 82.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,481 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 77.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,495 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 67.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,385 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 63.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,317 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.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 1116 East 59th Street Chicago, Il 60637
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60637
- Coordinates
- 41.95458, -87.75092
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Harper Library compare with other buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 3,852 benchmarked buildings in Chicago. Its site EUI of 103.7 kBtu/ft² is about 23% above the average of 84.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 8.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 13% above the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 119,311 sq ft, it is about half of the average floor area of 244,008 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1912, 55 years earlier than the group's average year built (1967).
How has Harper Library's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Harper Library, covering report years 2015–2023. Site EUI moved from 63.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 103.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), an 64% increase. Reported emissions went from 1,317 tCO₂e to 1,009 tCO₂e over the same span (down 23%).
What does a site EUI of 103.7 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. Harper Library's 103.7 kBtu/ft² across 119,311 sq ft works out to about 12.4 billion Btu (3,626 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 158.9 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 818,187 kWh of electricity and 2,725 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Harper Library to report its energy use?
Harper 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:252045:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More social/meeting hall buildings in Chicago
- Womans Athletic Club Chicago· 85,000 sq ft · EUI 123.0 kBtu/ft²
- Bartlett Commons· 69,250 sq ft · EUI 195.5 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 Harper Library's energy grade?
Harper Library did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 103.7 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Harper Library use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 103.7 kBtu/ft² (158.9 kBtu/ft² source) across 119,311 sq ft, including 818,187 kWh of electricity.
What are Harper Library's carbon emissions?
Harper Library reported 1,009 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (8.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Harper Library?
Harper Library is at 1116 East 59th Street Chicago, Il 60637, in Chicago, Illinois 60637. Its coordinates are 41.95458, -87.75092 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Harper Library and when was it built?
Harper Library has 119,311 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1912 as its year built. It is classed as social/meeting hall.
Is Harper 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, “Harper Library, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/harper-library-888ca68a (data as of October 2, 2026).