Filed under: Attractions, featuredarticle, History & Information
The Boston Public Library: A Cultural Monument
Bibliophiles will not want to miss a visit to the . The Public Library was the country’s first publicly funded library, founded in 1848. The Copley Plaza building, a grand Italianate “palace of the people” dates from 1895 and was designed by Charles McKim.
To fully appreciate the magnificent of the Public Library, enter from the Copley Square entrance on Dartmouth Street. The facade is a Beaux-art beauty made of light granite in a timeless style . Two large sculptures grace the front entrance – one is dedicated to the arts, the other to science date from 1912. The three interior entrance doors are of bronze and were sculpted by Daniel Chester French, perhaps best known as the artist who created the Lincoln Memorial. Nearby, you will find that has library lions too! Flanking the marble stairs of the library’s main staircase the two marble lions were sculpted by Louis Saint Gaudens. Be sure to pet their tails-it is said to bring you good luck!
Among the other impressive features of building is Bates Hall. Joshua Bates, one of the library’s first benefactors stipulated that a large, comfortable , well-lit reading room be established in his name. The Bates Reading Room with its vaulted coffered ceiling, arched windows, and wooden research tables is still a site to behold. Of course today, most library visitors bring their laptops to work here and the BPL accommodates with free Wi-Fi . You may recognize Bates Hall from the movies- the room was featured in both Pink Panther 2 and Good Will Hunting.
The library also features an important work by John Singer Sargent, his series of murals, the “Triumph of Religion”. After the seriousness of so many intellectual enlightenment-like themes, the Public Library’s Renaissance -style courtyard and fountain is like a breath of fresh air. Here you can take much needed snack or lunch break- the Courtyard Cafe is a more formal venue serving lunch and afternoon tea, the Map Room Cafe is more casual and serves both breakfast and lunch.
The Public Library (700 Boylston St., , 617-526-5400,Monday-Thursday 9 AM-9 PM, Friday and Saturday 9 AM-5 PM, Sunday 1-5 PM(October-May). Free docent- guided art and archticture tours Monday 2:30 PM, Tuesday and Thursday at 6PM, Friday and Saturday at 11 AM, Sunday at 2 PM.
Image Credit: Personal Collection
