At the time, it was occupied by the obsolete Croton Reservoir traces of the old reservoir still exist on the library floor. Several sites were considered, including those of the Astor and Lenox Libraries, but the trustees of the libraries ultimately chose a new site along Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, because it was centrally located between the Astor and Lenox Libraries. As a point of civic pride, the New York Public Library's founders wanted an imposing main branch. The libraries had a combined 350,000 items after the merger, which was relatively small compared to other library systems at the time. Tilden and a donation of $5.2 million from Andrew Carnegie, allowed for the creation of an enormous library system. The consolidation of the Astor and Lenox Libraries into the New York Public Library in 1895, along with a large bequest from Samuel J. 2.9 Wallach Division of Art, Prints and PhotographsĪ remnant of the Croton distribution reservoir, seen at the foundation of the South Court in 2014.2.7 Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle.2.6 Berg Collection of English and American Literature.1.4.2 2010s: the Central Library Plan and after.The Main Branch has been featured in many television shows and films. Since 2018, the branch has been undergoing an additional expansion. Schwarzman, for whom the branch was subsequently renamed. A major restoration from 2007 to 2011 was underwritten by a $100 million gift from philanthropist Stephen A. Additional space for the library's stacks was constructed under adjacent Bryant Park in 1991, and the branch's Main Reading Room was restored in 1998. It formerly contained a circulating library, though the circulating division of the Main Branch moved to the nearby Mid-Manhattan Library in 1970. The Main Branch became popular after its opening, and saw 4 million annual visitors by the 1920s. The interior of the building contains the Main Reading Room, a space measuring 78 by 297 feet (24 by 91 m) with a 52-foot-high (16 m) ceiling a Public Catalog Room and various reading rooms, offices, and art exhibitions. The marble facade of the building contains ornate detailing, and the Fifth Avenue entrance is flanked by a pair of stone lions that serve as the library's icon. The architectural firm Carrère and Hastings constructed the structure in the Beaux-Arts style, and the structure opened on May 23, 1911. The site, along Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, is located directly east of Bryant Park, on the site of the Croton Reservoir. The Main Branch was built after the New York Public Library was formed as a combination of two libraries in the late 1890s. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark, a National Register of Historic Places site, and a New York City designated landmark in the 1960s. As of 2015, the branch contains an estimated 2.5 million volumes in its stacks. The main entrance steps are at Fifth Avenue at its intersection with East 41st Street. The structure contains four stories open to the public. The branch, one of four research libraries in the library system, contains nine separate divisions. Schwarzman Building, commonly known as the Main Branch, 42nd Street Library or the New York Public Library, is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Interior: Rose Main Reading Room and Public Catalog Room
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