Designed by Chicago-based architect John Ronan, the Poetry Foundation building opened in 2011 and is the first in Chicago dedicated solely to the art of poetry. The performance space, where over 100 free poetry events are held yearly, is acoustically designed to optimize the human voice. The minimalist building features a public garden, a 30,000-volume poetry library, an exhibition gallery, and the offices of the Foundation’s many programs including Poetry magazine, which was founded by Harriet Monroe in Chicago's Fine Arts Building in 1912. The Poetry Foundation’s mission is to create a more vigorous presence for poetry in the culture.
