NYC Public Library
by James Aiken
Title
NYC Public Library
Artist
James Aiken
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The organizers of the New York Public Library, wanting an imposing main branch, chose a central site available at the two-block section of Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets. It was occupied by the defunct Croton Reservoir. Dr. John Shaw Billings, the first director of the library, created an initial design which became the basis of the new building (now known as the Schwarzman Building) on Fifth Avenue. Billings's plan called for a huge reading room on top of seven floors of bookstacks, combined with a system that was designed to get books into the hands of library users as fast as possible. Following a competition among the city's most prominent architects, Carr�re and Hastings was selected to design and construct the building. The cornerstone was laid in May 1902, and the building's completion was expected to be in three years. In 1910, 75 miles (121 km) of shelves were installed, and it took a year to move and install the books that were in the Astor and Lenox libraries.
On May 23, 1911, the main branch of the New York Public Library was officially opened in a ceremony presided over by President William Howard Taft. After a dedication ceremony, attended by 50,000 people, the library was open to the general public that day. The library had cost $9 million to build and its collection consisted of more than 1,000,000 volumes. The library structure was a Beaux-Arts design and was the largest marble structure up to that time in the United States. The two stone lions guarding the entrance were sculpted by E. C. Potter. Its main reading room was contemporaneously the largest of its kind in the world at 77 feet (23.5 m) wide by 295 feet (89.9 m) long, with 50 feet (15.2 m) high ceilings. It is lined with thousands of reference books on open shelves along the floor level and along the balcony. (Information obtained from Wikipedia)
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All photography in this gallery is the original work of James Aiken. All rights reserved. It is for sale, copyrighted to James Aiken, and as such, is protected by all US, and international copyright laws.
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Please note:
The watermark visible in the lower right hand corner of the image will NOT print on any purchased artwork.
Uploaded
March 28th, 2016
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Viewed 5,531 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/26/2024 at 3:27 PM
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Comments (15)
Marianne Campolongo
Been a big fan since childhood, Lovely night architectural image of this iconic building!
Lee Craig
You've created a really cool mood with the combination of grit, warmth and reflections in this piece, James!
Steven Reed
Wow! Where to start, the reflections of the beautiful warm light shining thru the windows, the combination of warmth and winter cold, Brilliantly done!
HH Photography of Florida
Such beautiful light and reflections in this night photograph. Love the tones and composition.