New York Public Library Main Branch

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Main Branch
The main entrance on Fifth Avenue
Location	476 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York 10018, United States
Type	Research library
Established	May 23, 1911 (1911-05-23) (opened to public)
Architect(s)	Carrère and Hastings
Branch of	New York Public Library
Collection
Items collected	Approximately 2.5 million (2015[update])[a]
Other information
Website	nypl.org/schwarzman
Coordinates	40°45′11″N 73°58′55″W / 40.75306°N 73.98194°W / 40.75306; -73.98194
Built	1897–1911
Architectural style(s)	Beaux-Arts
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Designated	December 21, 1965[1]
Reference no.	66000546
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Designated	October 15, 1966[2]
Reference no.	66000546
New York State Register of Historic Places
Designated	June 23, 1980[3]
Reference no.	06101.000079
New York City Landmark
Designated	January 11, 1967
Reference no.	0246
Designated entity	Facade[4]
New York City Landmark
Designated	November 12, 1974
Reference no.	0880
Designated entity	Interior: Astor Hall, Stairs, and McGraw Rotunda[5]
New York City Landmark
Designated	August 8, 2017
Reference no.	2592
Designated entity	Interior: Rose Main Reading Room and Public Catalog Room[6]

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (commonly known as the Main Branch, the 42nd Street Library, or just the New York Public Library^[b]) is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system in the Midtown neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The branch, one of four research libraries in the library system, contains nine separate divisions. The structure contains four stories open to the public. The main entrance steps are at Fifth Avenue at its intersection with East 41st Street. As of 2015^[update], the branch contains an estimated 2.5 million volumes in its stacks.^[a] The building was declared a National Historic Landmark, a National Register of Historic Places site, and a New York City designated landmark in the 1960s.

The Main Branch was built after the New York Public Library was formed as a combination of two libraries in the late 1890s. The site, along Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, is located directly east of Bryant Park, on the site of the Croton Reservoir. The architectural firm Carrère and Hastings constructed the structure in the Beaux-Arts style, and the structure opened on May 23, 1911. The marble facade of the building contains ornate detailing, and the Fifth Avenue entrance is flanked by a pair of stone lions that serve as the library's icon. The interior of the building contains the Main Reading Room, a space measuring 78 by 297 feet (24 by 91 m) with a 52-foot-high (16 m) ceiling; a Public Catalog Room; and various reading rooms, offices, and art exhibitions.

The Main Branch became popular after its opening and saw four million annual visitors by the 1920s. It formerly contained a circulating library, though the circulating division of the Main Branch moved to the nearby Mid-Manhattan Library in 1970. Additional space for the library's stacks was constructed under adjacent Bryant Park in 1991, and the branch's Main Reading Room was restored in 1998. A major restoration from 2007 to 2011 was underwritten by a $100 million gift from businessman Stephen A. Schwarzman, for whom the branch was subsequently renamed. The branch underwent another expansion starting in 2018. The Main Branch has been featured in many television shows and films.

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