A Library Is Coming Back to Galewood — And the Deal to Make It Happen Is Closer Than You Think
By Socialhood News · Galewood ·
For the first time in more than 16 years, Galewood may soon have a full-fledged public library of its own — and the deal to make it happen is further along than most residents realize. Alderman Chris Taliaferro (29th) confirmed in a January 2026 interview with the Austin Weekly News that the City of Chicago has made an offer on the former Fifth Third Bank building at 1725 N. Harlem Ave. as the future home of a new Chicago Public Library branch serving Galewood and Montclare.
The property owner came back with an asking price of $2.8 million, and as of the January report, the city was actively conducting due diligence on the purchase. Taliaferro said that review period typically takes around three months — but he has requested an expedited process, signaling that the alderman is pushing to move this forward as quickly as the city's procedures allow.
The backstory matters. Galewood has been without a proper library branch since July 15, 2010, when the Chicago Public Library was forced to close its location at a 4,000-square-foot storefront at 6969 W. Grand Ave. The closure wasn't about the library itself — it was a paperwork problem with the landlord, who had accumulated more than $70,000 in unpaid property taxes, fees, and fines owed to the city. As a city entity, the Chicago Public Library is prohibited from renting space from any business or individual who owes Chicago money, and when the lease expired that summer, CPL had no legal path to renew it. The branch shuttered, and for over a decade and a half, Galewood residents have had to travel outside the neighborhood to access a full-service public library.
It hasn't been for lack of trying. The city came close to a deal back in 2022, when developer Viktor Jakovljevic of Five Thirty One Partners agreed to let CPL use a portion of the retrofitted U.S. Bank building at 6700 W. North Ave., in a condo-style purchase arrangement. That deal ultimately did not come together. The current Harlem Avenue offer represents the most concrete and advanced bid yet to finally close the gap.
According to Taliaferro, the Chicago Public Library intends to use the existing bank building at 1725 N. Harlem Ave. and potentially build an addition onto the structure — which means the neighborhood could eventually end up with a purpose-built library facility, not just a repurposed storefront. Assuming the city completes its due diligence and closes on the property, the timeline for actually opening the branch remains to be determined, but the groundwork being laid now is more substantive than anything that has come before.
The significance of this for Galewood is hard to overstate. A library branch is not just a place to borrow books — it is a community anchor, a homework hub for kids at Sayre Elementary and other nearby schools, a resource center for seniors and job seekers, and one of the few truly free, universally accessible public spaces a neighborhood can have. Galewood has gone without that anchor since the summer of 2010, and the residents who have organized, advocated, and waited through two failed near-deals know exactly what has been missing.
The Harlem Avenue site also fits naturally into the neighborhood's existing civic geography — close to the commercial corridor, accessible by transit, and positioned to serve both Galewood and Montclare residents who have long shared this gap in public infrastructure.
If you want to stay informed as the due diligence process unfolds and the city moves toward a potential purchase, follow updates from Alderman Taliaferro's office and check in at galewoodneighbors.org. This is one of those slow-moving civic stories where community attention at the right moment — a zoning hearing, a budget vote, a construction timeline — can make a real difference. After 16 years, Galewood's library is closer than it has ever been.
Sources:
1. https://www.austinweeklynews.com/2026/01/27/new-galewood-library/
2. https://galewoodneighbors.org/Galewoodstock