BOSTON ATHENAEUM

Founded in 1807, the Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest and most well known independent libraries in America. It all began when a group of Bostonians got together in 1805 with the intention of forming something similar to that of the Athenaeum and Lyceum of Liverpool in the U.K.

Nicknamed the Temple of Culture, the Athenaeum moved to Beacon Street in 1849 and became the hub of cultural and intellectual life in Boston for more than 40 years. Inevidabely wear and tear took its toll on the building and the collections were re-housed on several occasions. However, several years of modernisation, refurbishment and dedication have returned it to its former glory while still maintaining the fibre around which it was originally built.

The new and improved building now contains an extra fourth and fifth floor and the entire structure has been fireproofed.The library is in the top five largest in the country, boasting more than 600,000 volumes, including George Washington’s personal library. Its main strengths are in the areas of Boston History, biography, English and American literature and New England state and local history. Concerts, lectures and discussions among scholars and bibliophiles are just a few of the activities that are commonplace in the library.

Due to large volumes of visitors, it is advised to book in advance.While the first floor is accessable to anyone, the other floors are on a guided tour basis only. The first floor houses many of the library’s most important paintings. It also contains a newspaper and magazine reading room, which is surrounded by glass walls. The second floor comprises of a print and reading room. The third floor is for reading and quietly conversing.

The fifth floor is dedicated to research. All floors have large windows overlooking the Old Granary Burying Ground. Two separate elevators allow ease of access to all floors, which are beautifully decorated with the finest of materials and detail. The Boston Athenaeum was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

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