The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building: Cathedral of Knowledge
Why is it significant?
Stand at the grand Fifth Avenue terrace before the monumental Beaux-Arts facade of the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
Key Facts
| Place | The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building: Cathedral of Knowledge |
|---|---|
| Address | 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018, USA |
| Geo Coordinates | 40.75330, -73.98220 |
| Part of Walk | New York: Midtown Art Deco and Grand Central Cathedrals |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand at the grand Fifth Avenue terrace before the monumental Beaux-Arts facade of the New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Dedicated in May 1911 by President William Howard Taft, this marble palace was designed by Carrère and Hastings as the flagship of a democratic, free public library system. Flanking the grand stairway are Patience and Fortitude, the beloved marble lions sculpted by Edward Clark Potter, affectionately named during the Great Depression by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia to inspire citizens through hard times.
The building is constructed from more than five hundred thousand cubic feet of gleaming white Vermont marble, with walls three feet thick. Step inside Astor Hall, where the soaring groin-vaulted ceiling, grand arches, and sweeping staircases are carved entirely from solid stone without a single steel structural beam. Upstairs lies the legendary Deborah, Jonathan F. P. Rose Main Reading Room, spanning two city blocks with chandeliers suspended fifty-two feet above polished oak study tables. Generations of Pulitzer Prize-winning historians, immigrant scholars, and curious schoolchildren have sat side by side beneath the majestic painted cloud murals, savoring the hushed reverence and boundless resources of this free municipal sanctuary.
Beneath the peaceful reading rooms and the green lawns of adjacent Bryant Park lies an underground labyrinth of book stacks containing more than fifty-five million items. The collection includes rare treasures such as a Gutenberg Bible printed in 1455, Thomas Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, and the original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh.
Run your fingers along the cool marble balustrade. This institution remains completely free and open to everyone, a profound monument to the democratization of human knowledge.
Walk around the library's northern terrace to step into the verdant sanctuary of Bryant Park.