The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, commonly known as the Main Branch or the New York Public Library, is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system and a landmark in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The branch, one of four research libraries in the library system, contains nine separate divisions. The structure contains four stories open to the public. The main entrance steps are at Fifth Avenue at its intersection with East 41st Street. As of 2015, the branch contains an estimated 2.5 million volumes in its stacks.
Exhibition space just behind the lobby. another exibition space on the third floor-- of the collection of prints and rare manuscripts
Opened, May 23, 1911
Interior Renovation, 1998
Interior Renovation, Oct 5, 2016
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The Catalog Room was restored starting in 1983. Ten million catalog cards, many of which were tattered, were replaced with photocopies that had been created over six years at a cost of $3.3 million. The room was subsequently renamed for Bill Blass, the fashion designer, who gave $10 million to the New York Public Library in 1994.
One of New York City`s most iconic locations, the majestic Rose Main Reading Room measures 78 feet by 297 feet—roughly the length of two city blocks—with 52-foot-tall ceilings displaying murals of vibrant skies and billowing clouds. This breathtaking Beaux-Arts space weaves Old World architectural elegance with modern technology. Here, patrons can request material from the Milstein Stacks, the Library`s environmentally optimal storage facility located underneath Bryant Park with a capacity of over 4 million items. Visitors can also browse and read the thousands of reference volumes lining the shelves.
After its renovation in 2016, The room now boasts a ceiling mural inspired by the three in the Rose Main Reading Room, opening the interior to a trompe l`oeil Parnassian sky.
The steps of the New York Public Library in Bryant Park, July 2020
1908
Depicting horse carriages and trolleys, late stage construction. Trademark lions not yet installed, 1908
1905
Exterior view
1910
Reviewing Naval parade
1914
Exterior view, 1914
1959
A view along the portico, with a man stands in the alcove at the far end, August 1958
1954
Man photographing, A boy feeding pigeons is sitting on the steps of the building, July 1954
1925
Aerial view of New York Public Library and Bryant Park
1910
Circulating library, 1910
1911
Circulating department, American history section, 1911
1910
Technology library
1915
Main stack room, center of seventh tier, showing stack columns supporting steel beams and terra cotta arch floor of main reading room overhead, 1915
1953
Marble lions sculptures located on steps, September 1953
1949
Lion sculpture on steps, 1949
Exterior marble work, construction of the northwest corner
1956
Side view of one of the iconic New York City Public Library lions, August 1956
One of the lions at the main entrance
1956
Lion statues, September 1956
1948
Patience and Fortitude, the "Library Lion" statues, in the snowstorm of December 1948
1910
Exterior view, 1910
2016 - Interior Renovation
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2016 - Interior Renovation - Images
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2016
Under restoration, 2016
2016
An upward view of the painting installed in the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room
2017
Designated a New York City landmark, 2017
2026
After renovations in 2016
Interior view (prior to renovations)
2016
Rose room under renovation
2016
A decorative painter from the New York firm EverGreene Architectural Arts works on the space’s new ceiling mural, which was based on the Rose Main Reading Room’s originals by James Wall Fin, 2016
1911 - Opened
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1911 - Opened - Images
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New York Public Library Central Information
1911 - Opened - Drawings and documents
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1915
Transverse section
1915
Basement floor plan, 1915
1915
Third floor plan
ASSOCIATED SITES
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Events and Stories
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1
How the New York Public Library Began
New York, New York, 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018, USA
Events and Stories
2
The Northeastern United States blizzard of 1978
New York, New York, New York, NY, USA
Events and Stories
3
Andrew Jackson's Cheese Gift
Washington, District of Columbia, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, USA