A Library Like a Palace

As a lover of literature, I have a special affinity for libraries as public spaces and centers of knowledge. They are my temples.  Boston Public Library was one of the first places I wanted to visit once I arrived in the area. Founded in 1848, it was apparently the first library to lend books and also the first library to have a branch. I had no idea borrowing privileges were such a late development-it was my impression that the borrowing of books was a much older, defining feature of libraries. Clearly, my sense of library history needs to be refined. From the exterior, the Boston Public Libary is grand and imposing and is situated directly across from Copley Square.

I arrived during the mid-afternoon hours and was first awed by the splendor of the Entrance Hall, where the ceiling is covered with the names of famous Bostonians. The entrance hall leads directly to the Main Staircase, which looks out of a dream. There are actually two marble lions, not merely one as in my picture. I was told that they serve as Civil War memorials. From that same picture, you can see what is known as the Puvis de Chavannes Gallery and the murals that decorate the second floor hall. The gallery is named for the French artist of these ethereal creations. Most appropriately, the murals showcase the nine muses. Following the line of those muses led me to the Abbey Room, filled with the mural paintings called The Quest of the Holy Grail created by the American artist Edwin Austin Abbey, which were installed in 1895. 

I found myself wandering into the Elliot Room, a decidedly plainer room with bookcases lined along its walls. From the Elliot Room, I entered the magnificent Bates Hall,  filled with dozens upon dozens of happy readers and researchers. I felt a tad guilty interrupting their study with the click of my shutter,  but I couldn't resist. Can you imagine any better reading room? It was absolutely divine.The last place I visited was the Courtyard, a truly delightful urban oasis. I see myself seeking its tranquility in the next several months, in the same way I used to linger in the courtyards at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

I'm not quite sure why I have never visited the library before, but now that I have I believe it will be a staple of my Bostonian existence. It will assuredly be on my list of places to take friends who are visiting, a list that I imagine will continue to grow in the upcoming months.