New Pritzker Military Library Opens On South Michigan Avenue

By Anna Deem in News on Apr 10, 2011 5:45PM

Across the street from the Art Institute at 104 S. Michigan Ave., the new Pritzker Military Library has officially opened. With 40,000 square feet, the private non-profit foundation has a lot of room to display their uniforms, medals, flags, and many military-related books. "We try to tell the story of American history through the eyes of the citizen soldier," said Ed Tracy, president and CEO of the foundation, to the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's all about the courage and sacrifice."

Librarian Paul Grasmehr noted to the Sun-Times that walk-in traffic to the library has increased since they moved to Michigan Avenue from their old location at 610 N. Fairbanks. "Every week you get to meet great veterans and you get to learn so much from these people," he said to the Sun-Times. Although they plan to eventually charge admission, the library is currently free and open to the public. Visitors can look forward to a war-themed movie shown in the library's auditorium every Saturday, as well as frequent public events and discussions, many of which are broadcast on WYCC-TV and the library's website.