15 Must-Visit Libraries in the U.S. Showcasing Architectural and Historical Treasures

Key facts

• Library of Congress (1800) is the oldest federal cultural institution in the U.S.
• Boston Public Library (1848) was the first large free municipal library in the U.S.
• New York Public Library's Schwarzman Building (1911) features the Rose Main Reading Room.
• George Peabody Library (1857) has five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies and a 61-foot skylight.
• Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (1963) at Yale houses the Voynich Manuscript and a Gutenberg Bible.
• Harold Washington Library (1991) in Chicago is named for the city's first African American mayor.
• The Morgan Library & Museum (1906) was J.P. Morgan's private study and holds a recently discovered Chopin waltz.
• Los Angeles Central Library (1926) survived a major arson fire in 1986.
• St. Louis Public Library (1865) underwent a $70 million 'invisible' restoration in 2012.
• Suzzallo Library (1926) at University of Washington is known as the 'soul of the university'.
• Boston Athenaeum (1807) is a private membership library housing George Washington's personal library.
• Geisel Library (1970) at UC San Diego holds the world's most extensive Dr. Seuss collection.
• Folger Shakespeare Library (1932) holds 82 copies of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays.
• Fisher Fine Arts Library (1891) at UPenn features gargoyle-shaped ventilation vents.
• Linda Hall Library (1946) is a private STEM library on a 14-acre arboretum with first editions of Newton, Darwin, and Galileo.