I. M. Pei, who liked to design buildings with postcard views, designed the library, which was built in 1969. He wanted a quiet setting for the library and requested that Lafayette Street be closed to help create a large, open space or plaza. The concrete "waffled" ceiling is distinctive-looking and functional. The heat from the ceiling's canister lights is recycled through an elaborate intake system and the air is recycled and used to heat the building in the winter months. Pei was interested in...