Although the library’s first function is to house books and manuscripts, it also serves as a place of study, research, and contemplation.
Historic libraries from New York to California feature enormous reading rooms, with staggered ceilings, chandeliers, and the warm glow of reading lamps.
Library buildings are designed more modernly like the Seattle Central Library or the Billings Public Library. Not only is it an architectural marvel, but it also serves as a community meeting space and technology hub.
Today’s libraries don’t just stop at books and manuscripts; the eye-popping design includes a recording studio, computer lab, and even an art exhibition space. Reporting from Curbed, Thursday (4/8/2021), here is a library with a beautiful design that makes you feel at home reading books.
1. William W. Cook Law Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Located on the University of Michigan campus, the William W. Cook Legal Research Library was built in 1930 and looks like a modern Harry Potter library.
The magnificent building had a large tower, stained glass windows, and metalwork by the best metalworker of the day, Samuel Yellin. But the most stunning aspect of the library is its large reading room, there is wood paneling, and elegant chandeliers, creating a peaceful and elegant hall.
2. Los Angeles Central Library in Los Angeles, California
The exterior of the Los Angeles Public Library. The facade is brown and there are two statues of people above the library entrance.
As the largest public library in the west, the Los Angeles Central Library has captivated book and architecture lovers since it was built in 1926.
Architect Bertram Goodhue drew on design elements from ancient Egypt to create a geometric facade that is an early example of art deco. The library’s most recognizable feature is the tiled pyramid at the top which has a golden hand holding a torch.
An addition made in 1993 was a space called the Tom Bradley wing, and which helped restore the original Goodhue building.
3. Suzzallo Library in Seattle, Washington
Designed in the early 1920s by Seattle architect Carl F. Gould, Sr. and Charles H. Bebb, the Suzzallo library boasts facades made with sandstone, precast stone, terracotta, and brick.
Reminiscent of great European cathedrals, the library’s Collegiate Gothic style makes it one of the most famous buildings on campus.
While the exterior is impressive, the vaulted ceiling is accented with bright colors and details, gilded by wooden bookshelves and carved friezes. Large glass windows let in natural light and long tables provide plenty of study space.
4. Library of Congress in Washington, DC
The United States’ most impressive library collection would not be complete without the Library of Congress in Washington DC. The largest library in the world, the Library of Congress is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill.
The most famous structure is the Thomas Jefferson Building, which opened in 1897 and houses the iconic Main Reading Room. Inspired by the reading rooms in the British Museum Library, the domed Main Reading Room is the central access point for the Library’s collections and is open to researchers aged 16 and over.
5. Fisher Fine Arts Library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Designed by American architect Frank Furness in 1888, the library at the University of Pennsylvania departed from the marble or granite designs popular in the late nineteenth century in favor of bright red brick.
The building contains a mix of towers, chimneys, and sky-lit rooms that mimic the factories of downtown Philadelphia. The library underwent several additions and changes over the years and underwent a major restoration in the late 1980s and early 1990s before taking the name Fisher Fine Arts Library.