Unless you're an avid bookworm, checking in at one of America's
behemoth libraries while on a sight seeing tour of New York or Boston probably
isn't foremost on your agenda. But, when you consider that many of these book
repositories were intended to symbolize the collective superior knowledge,
creativity and power of philanthropists and literary greats, it's
understandable why some people get excited. With that in mind, we've tried to
compile a must-visit list that encompasses both libraries of architectural
excellence, and those with notably interesting collections. Unsurprisingly, the
majority of these are a combination of the two!
Library of Congress
Washington D.C, Federal District of
Columbia
With over 29.5 million volumes contained
within four buildings across Washington D.C and Culpeper, Virginia, the 18th Century Library of
Congress is the largest library in the U.S by volumes held. Established for the
United States Congress as a research facility in 1800, the library was
originally housed in the neoclassical U.S Capitol Building where members of U.S
Congress still meet today. The War of 1812 wiped out much of the earlier
volumes, and it wasn't until 1815 that the library once again began to acquire
larger collections.
Today, the Library of Congress spills
across three buildings at the very heart of Washington D.C. Constructed in the
Beaux-Arts style, Thomas Jefferson boasts an equally lavish interior with
Minerva mosaics, detailed American Renaissance sculpture work, and soaring
porticoes lining the main hall. A lofty, rotund space, the Main Reading Room
also serves as the main entrance to the Library's research collections. It's
here you'll also find the Computer Catalog Center, from which you can consult
approximately 70,000 volumes contained in the Main Reading Room Collection. The Thomas Jefferson Building also houses a wide range of commissioned
works art dating back to the 19th Century, including Edward Blashfield's
mural “Evolution of Civilization” and Gari Melcher's “Murals of War and Peace”.
The Morgan Library (and Museum)
Madison Avenue, New York
The Morgan Library began life in the 1870s
as the private collection of eminent financier Pierpont Morgan, starting with
just a few academic drawings and books on art. Following the death of his
father in 1890, Pierpont acquired his 12.5 million dollar fortune, and thus
began his passion for collecting on a larger and more expensive scale. Intent
on constructing a building that would reflect the beauty and rarity of the
collections contained within it, Pierpont commissioned Boston Public Library
architect Charles Follen McKim to design a palazzo of such grandeur and
importance, that it would be regarded as a work of art in its own right.
It is estimated that between 1890 and the
time of his death in 1913, Pierpont had spent in excess of $60 million on art,
literature and antiquities, including authentic Egyptian artifacts and original
manuscripts for both Keats's “Endymion” and Dickens' “A
Christmas Carol”. Among some of Morgan's most notable acquisitions are
three Gutenberg Bibles – the first books to be printed using movable type in
the West, along with the only surviving
manuscript for John Milton's “Paradise Lost”. His collections
also extend to two separate museum buildings adjacent to the library, both of
which house in excess of 12,000 drawings, preparatory studies and sketches by
some of the greatest artists in history.
George Peabody Library
Baltimore, Maryland
While nowhere near as large as the Boston and New York Pubic Libraries in terms of scale,
the Gothic-esque athenaeum in Baltimore is still every bit as impressive. Named
in honor of the British-American philanthropist George Peabody, the 19th
Century repository was originally intended as a research library for the John
Hopkins University. Intent on creating a broad and accessible collection of
literature which encompassed all fields of knowledge (save medicine and law),
Peabody enlisted the help of celebrated English-born architect and close friend
Edmund George Lind to create what would later be described as a “cathedral of
books”.
Set across six floors, the neo-Grecian interior bears all the hallmarks
of an ancient cathedral, including a soaring 61 foot atrium covered by
skylights and ornate, cast-iron balconies overlooking the black and white
marble 'court'. The library itself boasts a small, yet impressive collection of
just over 300,000 volumes, including
numerous bound manuscripts from the 17th and 18th
Centuries. While most are concerned with art, religion, history and culture,
the library also counts a number of cuneiform tablets among its collections,
coupled with several early editions of “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Boston Public Library (BPL)
Boston, Massachusetts
No list of U.S libraries would be complete without mention of the BPL.
Established in 1848, Boston Public Library was the first municipal library in
the United States to be supported by public funding, and the first to allow
volumes to be freely borrowed by the public. The library was originally
contained within a small schoolhouse, yet a mere four years after its inaugural
opening in 1854, was relocated to an Italian building on Boylston Street due to
the increasing number of acquisitions. It wasn't until 1888 that the municipal
government finally agreed upon both a style, and an architect, for the
earmarked location at Copley Square.
Beaux-Arts architect Charles Follen McKim is credited with the
building's unique Renaissance design, which features huge, arcaded stained
glass windows and monumental inscriptions. Inspired by the work of Valencian
architect Rafael Guastavino, the main hall features one of the very first
successful installations of Catalan vaults anywhere in the U.S. Aside from its
architectural marvels, the behemoth library houses a number of fascinating
murals by the likes of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and John Singer Sargent, as
well as the famed “Quest of the Holy Grail” by Edwin Austin Abbey. With an
estimated 14,900,000 materials, the BPL now ranks as the third largest library
in the U.S by volume, and counts early works by Shakespeare and Mozart among
its most famous acquisitions.
Salt Lake City Public Library,
Salt Lake City, Utah
It may not be up there with the likes of New York and Boston as one of
America's must-visit cities, yet the
municipal capital of Utah has more than its own fair share of interest
attractions. Built in 2003, the newly constructed Public Library has become one
of the city's most recognizable landmarks – a marriage of glass, steel and
light that gives it a sleek, futuristic appearance. The interior is a little
like a shopping mall – all vast open walkways, glinting metal and sweeping
steel spiral staircases connecting one level to the next.
It's no strange coincidence the SLCPL also has a small, designated
shopping area. The space itself was incepted to provide inhabitants of the city
with an ambient indoor space in which to read, learn, experience and socialize.
The layout somewhat differs to that of a conventional library as there are reading
areas scattered throughout the building. Window seats alongside the 5-storey
glass wall offer tantalizing views across the city, but if you really want a
prime spot, you can't beat the efflorescent Roof Terrace Cafe up on the 6th
floor!
With around 3 million volumes held, Salt Lake City Public Library can't
quite compete with the repositories of Boston and New York in terms of scale.
It can, however, stake claim to having one of the largest graphic novel
collections in the U.S, and a 'zine collection comprising 15 subscriptions and
more than 6,000 titles!
