July saw the start of construction for the Library’s expansion project! The crew fenced off and cleared the site along St. Johns and Laurel Avenues. The iconic sign for the Library that has stood at the corner of the two streets on and off since 1940 will be removed and reinstalled at another location upon completion of construction.
The wrought iron and wood sign was designed by Rudolph Frank Ingerle. Born in Vienna in 1879, Ingerle immigrated to the United States when he was 12 and studied at John Francis Smith’s Art Academy and The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. He is most noted for his plein-air landscape paintings. Here’s a look at one of Ingerle’s other works that’s part of the Library’s art collection.
Ingerle settled in Highland Park in 1922 and lived on Laurel Avenue. He was active in the community and an ardent supporter of the Library, serving on the Library Board of Trustees in the late 1930s and early 1940s. According to Mary Frooman’s History of the Highland Park Public Library, when the Library Board noted the need to identify the Library, as people noticed the attractive building, but didn’t know that it was the Library, Ingerle designed a sign. The sign shows an open book and a feather pen and is hung from a decorative post.
Frooman’s History of the Highland Park Public Library also notes that the Chicago Daily Tribune wrote, “newcomers to Highland Park have no trouble finding the public library, since the attractive new sign was put up at the corner of St. Johns and Laurel Avenues.” (Chicago Daily Tribune, October 14, 1940). The sign stood at the corner from 1940 until late 1960, when it was removed during renovation. It was restored and reinstalled in December 2002, pointing a new generation to the Library.
Ingerle’s work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago and other museums and galleries. It’s also found in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Union League Club of Chicago, and the Illinois State Museum, Springfield, among other places. Ingerle died in Highland Park in 1950 and left a legacy to the Library with his sign.
The Library’s expansion will provide a future-ready Library, transforming it for the community and for generations to come. Yet, there will be a nod to the past. Ingerle’s historic sign will be reinstalled, serving again as a welcome to the Library.
