Why is this building significant?
The flagship building of the New York Public Library system, this magnificent marble, Beaux-Arts structure, with its grand flight of stairs flanked by a pair of lions, is one of the most visited and famous sites in the City. The building’s interiors are equally lavish. While clearly Classical in design, the building nods to 20th-century modernity in its simple façade facing Bryant Park. Here, tall, thin windows starkly express the book stacks behind the walls.
What did the New York Landmarks Conservancy do?
We supported the landmark designations of the Rose Main Reading Room and the Bill Blass Catalog Room in 2017, following the restoration of the ceiling in 2016. We also supported the Library’s ongoing renovation at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, which includes expanded public areas and increased access for researchers, as well as its transformative renovation of the Library’s largest circulating branch, located across Fifth Avenue, the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL).
Contemporary
Historic
