New York Public Library Main Branch

Manhattan, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Opening hours: Mo,Th-Sa 10:00-18:00; Tu-We 08:00-20:00
Wheelchair access: Accessible
Phone: +1-917-275-6975

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

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The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, commonly known as the Main Branch or 42nd Street Library, is the flagship research library of the New York Public Library system, occupying a prominent site along Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by the architectural firm Carrère and Hastings in the Beaux-Arts style and completed in 1911, the structure replaced the Croton Reservoir on land directly east of Bryant Park. The marble facade features ornate detailing, and the Fifth Avenue entrance is famously flanked by a pair of stone lions. The building's interior showcases the Main Reading Room—a soaring 78-by-297-foot space with a 52-foot ceiling—alongside a Public Catalog Room and various specialized reading spaces. As of 2015, the branch holds an estimated 2.5 million volumes. Originally attracting four million annual visitors by the 1920s, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark and New York City landmark in the 1960s. Major restorations occurred in 1998 and again from 2007 to 2011, the latter funded by a $100 million gift from Stephen A. Schwarzman, whose name now graces the building.

Architect

Carrère and Hastings

Movement

Beaux-Arts

Built: 1897
Type: public library, library building, research library
Heritage: New York State Register of Historic Places listed place, New York City Landmark
Place: Manhattan, United States

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Location

40.75333, -73.98222