The McKim Building of the Boston Public Library

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we learn how Boston’s public library was adorned by great artists and sculptors.

Facing Dartmouth Street, the McKim Building displays classical symmetry: 13 second-floor arches line up perfectly with 10 ground floor windows, while five arches flank three main entryway arches. The building’s terracotta roof is set off by a decorative green copper cornice. Above each of the three arched doorways is a seal made by American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. They represent the state of Massachusetts, the Boston Public Library, and the City of Boston. The words “Free to All” are presented over a fret design (or Greek key) border that runs the length of the building. The two bronze robed statues by artist Bela Pratt at the front of the building represent science and art. Aram Boghosian/Boston Public Library

In 1854, Boston’s first library was opened in a two-room schoolhouse. By the following year, the growing city was able to offer the public a far grander structure and opened the McKim Building as its central branch, 16 years before New York City’s public library began welcoming patrons. The library is “a significant point of pride for the City of Boston,” according to a statement by its board of trustees.

That pride is not only due to the institution’s long history but to its architectural excellence. New York architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White was chosen by the library’s board to design the structure in 1887. The city named the building for the firm’s founding partner Charles Follen McKim.