HH BOOKS

Bookstore shelving with inbuilt lighting designed for the former library room of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum in Chicago. The elegantly proportioned lattice of ash shelves integrates with the room's existing network of historical moldings, with each shelf end connecting discreetly to the 19th-century trim. Simple, rhythmical, and robust, the shelves signal the unfinished — each portion reaching a different height — drawing from the ad hoc ceramic workshop shelving of the Hull-House Kilns once central to the settlement's working life. Through this embedded reference, the bookstore reconciles the presence of retail within a house museum, transforming a pass-through into a destination and amplifying the institution's mission through the curated volumes it holds. Part of Continuing a Radical Craft, winner of the 2025 AIA Chicago Lerch Bates People's Choice Award in the Cultural category.

Design & Build w/ Titus Wonsey, John Bedal & Matt Klich

The project was made possible through the inspiration and intuition of the amazing people at Jane Addams Hull House :

Liesl Olson, Matthew Randle-Bent, Ross Jordan, and the entire staff.