Pierpont Morgan Library

If you are as big a fan of the written word as we are, you are going to be just as thrilled with a visit to the Pierpont Morgan Library. And, if you are the kind that is not moved by strokes of ink on paper, you should come here simply to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of this Italian Renaissance-style palazzo. The architectural detail in this place is indeed a marvel.

The Pierpont Morgan Library was built between 1902 and 1906. Back then it was known as Mr. Morgan’s library, and it was adjacent to Morgan’s New York residence at Madison Avenue and 36th Street. Charles McKim of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White was commissioned to design this palazzo.

Like we mentioned before, the architectural details of the Morgan Library are fascinating in themselves, even if you don’t care too much about what the library houses. The library’s beautiful façade draws its inspiration from two sources, both of which are related to 16th century Rome – the story of the Nymphaeum of the Villa Giulia and the entrance to the Villa Medici. The former was designed for Pope Julius III, while the latter was built for Cardinal Ricci.

Interestingly, the façade was laid up without using mortar centers – a construction style that was used in ancient Greek architecture. On either side of the entrance are roundels and panels designed by Andrew O’Connor and Adolph Weinman and lions carved by Edward Clark Potter.

The Pierpont Morgan Library houses a collection of manuscripts, drawings, and rare books which focus on the literature, history, and art of Western civilization from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.  Their collection ranges from Renaissance paintings to Egyptian Art to Chinese porcelain. There are illuminated, literary, and historical manuscripts, old master drawings and prints, early printed books, ancient seals, tablets, and papyrus fragments from Egypt and the Near East.

Highlights of the library include a rare vellum copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the ninth-century Lindau Gospels, Albrecht Durer’s Adam and Eve, the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, Peter Paul Rubens and Hilarie-Germain-Edgar Degas, drawings from Leonardo da Vinci, the autograph manuscript of Mozart’s Haffner Symphony, original manuscripts by Charlotte Bronte and John Steinbeck, and several hundred letters from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

There are changing exhibitions in the library that you can have a look at, along with public programs like video presentations, guided tours, lectures and concerts. Be it your intellectual side or the aesthetic one, a trip to the Pierpont Morgan Library satisfies both.

• Address: 225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
• Directions: Located on 36th St. between Madison and Park Aves. 40minutes from the George Washington Bridge.
• Phone: 212-685-0008
• Hours:
  • Tuesday through Thursday – 10:30 am to 5 pm
  • Friday 10:30 am to 9 pm
  • Saturday 10 am to 6 pm
  • Sunday 11 am to 6 pm
  • Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day

• Admission:
  • Adults – $12.00
  • Children under 16 – $8.00
  • Students  – $8.00
  • Seniors 65 and over – $8.00
  • Children under 12 FREE

Admission is FREE on Fridays, 7pm – 9pm.

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