The steps of the New York Public Library in Bryant Park, July 2020  The steps remain empty during the lockdown spurred by the coronavirus

Aerial view of New York Public Library and Bryant Park 

Exterior view 

Exterior view, 1914 

Depicting horse carriages and trolleys, late stage construction. Trademark lions not yet installed, 1908 

Exterior view, 1910 

Reviewing Naval parade 

A view along the portico, with a man stands in the alcove at the far end, August 1958 

Man photographing, A boy feeding pigeons is sitting on the steps of the building, July 1954 

Circulating library, 1910 

Circulating department, American history section, 1911 

Technology library 

Main stack room, center of seventh tier, showing stack columns supporting steel beams and terra cotta arch floor of main reading room overhead, 1915 

Exterior marble work, construction of the northwest corner 

Lion sculpture on steps, 1949 

Marble lions sculptures located on steps, September 1953 

One of the lions at the main entrance 

Side view of one of the iconic New York City Public Library lions, August 1956 

Lion statues, September 1956 

Patience and Fortitude, the "Library Lion" statues, in the snowstorm of December 1948 

1911 - Transverse section 

1911 - Basement floor plan, 1915 

1911 - Third floor plan 

1911 - The Rose Reading Room, New York Public Library  One of New York City’s most iconic locations, the majestic Rose Main Reading Room measures 78 feet by 297 feet—roughly the length of two city blocks—with 52-foot-tall ceilings displaying murals of vibrant skies and billowing clouds. This breathtaking Beaux-Arts space weaves Old World architectural elegance with modern technology. Here, patrons can request material from the Milstein Stacks, the Library’s environmentally optimal storage facility located underneath Bryant Park with a capacity of over 4 million items. Visitors can also browse and read the thousands of reference volumes lining the shelves.

1911 - Bill Blass Public Catalog Room, New York Public Library  The Catalog Room was restored starting in 1983. Ten million catalog cards, many of which were tattered, were replaced with photocopies that had been created over six years at a cost of $3.3 million. The room was subsequently renamed for Bill Blass, the fashion designer, who gave $10 million to the New York Public Library in 1994. After its renovation in 2016, The room now boasts a ceiling mural inspired by the three in the Rose Main Reading Room, opening the interior to a trompe l’oeil Parnassian sky.