- New York Public Library Address: 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue
Midtown Map - New York Public Library Cross Streets: 40th and 42nd Streets
- New York Public Library Subways:Take the 7, B/D/F/V to 42nd Street/Bryant Park
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- Thursday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- Closed Sundays and Mondays
- Also closed for certain holidays
- Building Tours: Free one hour walking tours Tuesday through Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. highlighting the history and architecture of the New York Public Library. These tours are a great way to get an overview of the beauty and expanse of the Library's collections.
- Exhibition Tours: Free tours of the Library's Current Exhibitions at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
- Astor Hall
- Gutenberg Bible
- Rose Reading Room
- McGraw Rotunda
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 by combining the collections of the Astor and Lexox Libraries, that were experiencing financial difficulties, with the $2.4 million trust from Samuel J. Tilden given to "establish and maintain a free library and reading room in the city of New York."
Built on the site of the Croton Reservoir, this Beaux-Arts landmark was the largest marble building built in the United States when it first opened. It was designed by Carrère and Hastings.
Sixteen years later, on May 23, 1911 President William Howard Taft, Governor John Alden Dix and Mayor William J. Gaynor dedicated the Library and it opened to the public the next day.
Read more about the history of the New York Public Library.
Visitors today can conduct research at the Library, take a tour of the Library, attend numerous events, and even wander through the Library to view its many treasures and artworks including the Gutenberg Bible, murals and paintings, and the Library's beautiful architecture.
