Located in the heart of the original Hull mansion is the museum’s award-winning bookstore. Celebrating the work of authors and artists who inspire civic action, the Hull-House Books store extends the museum’s mission. Residents of Hull-House and their neighbors used literature to build movements for social reform. Beginning with Ellen Gates Starr’s bookbindery and the Hull-House branch of the Chicago Public Library that opened in 1891, books have long been central to the settlement’s vision of education, culture, and empowerment.

Today, the store offers histories of Hull-House, including what Jane Addams loved to read, alongside contemporary publications that resonate with the settlement’s enduring influence on art, education, food, literature, politics, and civic life. The shop also features a curated selection of objects, prints, apparel, and gifts connected to the museum’s exhibitions and programs. Hull-House merchandise is produced in collaboration with our partners at HOUR Studio, as well as vendors across the city of Chicago.

Designed by Titus Wonsey and Michal Koszycki, the bookstore received an AIA Chicago People’s Choice Award in 2025. Merchandise is currently available exclusively in person. Visitors can browse the bookstore during museum hours.