Designing the Library
In 1892, the Library's first director held a competition to select the architects to design New York's new Central Library. Among the designers invited to submit plans to a closed phase of the design competition, the favorites were McKim, Mead & White, a well-established firm that had trained the competition's winners - John Carrère and Thomas Hastings - in the early 1880s. These sources document the competition:
- Terms of Competition for the Building to be Erected for the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.
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Call Number: *HND (NYPL) p.v. 1Publication Date: 1897 - Preliminary Competition for the Building to be Erected for the New York Public Library .. [microform]Call Number: *Z-960Publication Date: 1897
- Report of the Jury of Award in the Second Competition [for the Building to be Erected for the Library [microform]
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Call Number: *Z-960Publication Date: 1897
Edward Laning WPA Murals
The Story of the Recorded Word, a set of four large arched panels by Edward Laning, was constructed as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Project for the McGraw Rotunda of the Library from 1938 to 1942. Laning told the tale of the written word through each of the panels. Explore the materials listed below to learn more:
- The Story of the Recorded Word; Murals by Edward Laning for the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and Forty Second Street [microform] Presentation by Fiorello H. Laguardia, Mayor of the City of New York, April 22, 1940.Call Number: *ZM 3-MAR p.v. 768-775Publication Date: 1940
- The Mural Paintings by Edward Laning in the New York Public Library [microform]Call Number: *HND (NYPL) p.v. 32 [Text]Publication Date: 1942
Restoring the 42nd Street Library
A three-year, $50 million project to clean and restore The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building's exterior finished in the spring of 2011. Curious what this project looked like? Check out Restoration of the Schwarzman Building Exteriors, a video that takes you behind the scenes of this massive project.
Explore this interactive map to discover what the 42nd Street Library looked like in its early years, from the basement to the third level. The floorplans are sourced from the Central Building Guide. All photographs are from the Digital Collections and The Library in Pictures; Forty illustrations of the New York Public Library and its Activities.
Architectural Histories
The New York Public Library by Call Number: Z733 .N43 1986Publication Date: 1986Henry H. Reed writes about the distinctive and precise design of the Schwarzman Building inside and out, from the terrace to the stunning Rose Main Reading Room, including 250 full-color photographs.
New York Public Library by Call Number: JFC 14-86Publication Date: 2012Ingrid Steffensen, an architectural historian, presents a thorough architectural history of the Library context with the Beaux-Arts style. Steffensen's book was published to commemorate the Library's centennial in 2011.
Carrère and Hastings, Architects by Call Number: IRH 07-1827Publication Date: 2006Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings, was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture firms. The firm rose to national prominence by winning the competition for the New York Public Library in 1897. This book takes a close look at records related to architects, including a catalog of Carrère & Hastings's work, a roster of the firm's personnel, a complete bibliography, over 800 duotone photos, and nine gatefold plates.
Top Cats by Call Number: J 730.92 LPublication Date: 2006This book delves into the Library's Lions, Patience, and Fortitude history. Larkin explores the controversy surrounding the Lions' creation and their ongoing popularity alongside a generous selection of photographs, cartoons, prints, original drawings, and memorabilia.
Stacks
Over 2,500,000 books were held in steel stacks on seven levels under the Rose Main Reading Room. Patrons submitted requests on call slips, and staff members inserted them in pneumatic tubes to the appropriate stack level. As the Library's collections grew and preservation technology advanced, the stacks were phased out as a long-term storage option and replaced by two Milstein Research Stacks beneath Bryant Park, as well as an offsite storage in New Jersey. Although the stacks can no longer preserve and store research materials, they remain an innovative architectural element that allowed the Library to store massive collections in midtown Manhattan.
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