Why Is Boston Public Library Important

Throughout modern history, McKim, Mead, and White’s Boston Public Library has existed as a recognizable architectural landmark and therefore, as an integral part of the Boston cityscape. However, the library is just one of many buildings from the era in the area and is by no means the most significant to the nation’s history, forcing the question of why the building is so very iconic. The justification can be found when the structure is dissected into a handful of key spaces. Through its innate grandeur in these areas, the Boston Public library establishes itself as a magnificent Boston landmark. This trait exists as a motif implemented in everything from construction materials to the clearly defined circulation path. Analyzing the library …show more content…
The library’s design takes every opportunity to not blend in with its neighboring buildings. Primarily, the Boston Public Library exists at a much greater scale and in a radically different style than the surroundings, including the shopping centers and Trinity Church. Even structures added to the plaza later, like the hotel, contribute to the magnificence of the library. However, even with these differences, the library is given a wide berth. The building, including an addition, occupy an entire block and are therefore spared the distraction of trying to marry two structures in a small area. Further contributing to the independent nature of the Boston Public Library is the way the front entry is handled. A simple set of six stairs and a pair of statues are the only ornamentation that tarnish the sight of the more important view; the …show more content…
The entire library appears as a single coherent massing made of a uniform stone material with slightly varied depth. Horizontal rather than vertical divisions are emphasized. This allows the illusion of a greater span rather than a stress on verticality and height. There is a logical hierarchy established moving up the building, represented by a gradient of one consistent material in increasingly smaller stone with more refined joints. Three large, rounded arch doors are inset deeply in the facade, making the walls appear very thick and grounded. Mirrored on either side of the trio are five evenly spaced, rectangular windows, elevated over a thick base that yet again grounds the building. An entablature skims the top of the arched doorways, dividing the first and second stories. The area above the bisection is dominated by a series of thirteen windows, each topped by an arch that springs from the buffering pilasters. The names of powerful historical figures are engraved in the spaces between the bottom of the window and the entablature, giving the building a sense of purpose and reverence for the past. The area just above the arches are home to fourteen medallions and an inscription that reads, “THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF THE CITY OF BOSTON BUILT BY THE PEOPLE AND DEDICATED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING AND MDCCCLXXXVIII”. This phrase itself is