The 1897 competition for the design of a new library in New York City was a signal event in fin-de-siScle circles, drawing illustrious and ambitious contestants. The prize went to the youngest of the architectural firms, CarrSre &Hastings, whose innovations included a great gabled third-floor reading room, and the use of the newest cast-iron and steel technology for seven floors of stacks. The exterior constitutes one of the great artistic collaborations of the era; every classical detail was hand-carved by masons and carpenters trained in Old-World techniques. This new addition to the Art Spaces series explores the history and design of a Beaux-Arts masterpiece.
