Boston Public Library
Boston is a
city that is filled with
tons of historical sites,
mostly from the
Revolutionary War
period. Also, Boston
has some famous sites
that were built after
the Civil War. One of
these famous sites is
the Boston Public
Library. It is located
at 700 Boylston St. in
Boston, or commonly known as being at Copley Square. The library was founded in 1848 by an
act of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts. The library was not always located on
Boylston Street. It was originally a school on Mason Street and opened its doors in 1854.
Unfortunately, the library was too small and needed a new location. The library was moved to
where it stands today. The architect, Charles Follen McKim, called his new masterpiece a,
“palace for the people”. The building was called the Boston Public Library or McKim building.
This gave the city an idea to expand its library. Boston opened another library in the district of
East Boston. This made it the first library branch in the United States. They continued to do this
throughout the city up to present day. There are now 25 libraries under the Boston Public Library
branch. As the branch of libraries expanded the central library at Copley was expanded as well.
In 1972 a design by Philip Johnson added an addition to the library. This modern addition is
known as the Johnson building. It was built right behind the McKim building with a courtyard in
between the two. The additional building changed up the layout of the library. The Johnson
building became the new headquarters of the library with a lot of basic materials in it. Other
famous or notable parts of the library exsit in these
buildings. One section is known as Bates Hall. It
is a large room with English oak bookcases,
arched ceiling, and a balcony. It was named after
Joshua Bates, a merchant banker who donated
$50,000 dollars to the library in 1852. Another
famous room is The Abbey Room. It is covered
with murals all over the walls drawn by Edwin
Austin Abbey, an American artist. The room is
made of a French styled marble and a Venetian
ceiling. The BPL also has galleries in it. The
Chavannes Gallery and the Sargent Gallery are the
most famous at the library. The entire library
contains over 8.9 million books as well as many
Bates Hall
other items. There is some rare items, maps, art,
and others. The Boston library was declared a
National Historic Landmark in 1986.
The Boston is a very important historical site. It
branch was also the Nation’s first branch of libraries. T
architecture is beautiful. It is a great place for learning,
every year. Some people have had weddings in there as
Public Library was the first library to designate space f
documents of John Adams. It is one of Boston’s icons
bombings. The Building is a National Historic Landma
Picture of the McKim Building, original Boston Public
Library
Map of Boston Libraries
Gallery
The Abbey Room
Boston Public Library Courtyard
The Johnson Building
Sargent Gallery