Hidden Details of the New York Public Library | Architectural Digest
Noted historians serve as your personal audio guide through a virtual walking tour of the New York Public Library. Find out about hidden details of the famed NYC building as these expert reveal the history behind the Winnie the Pooh toys, the Rose Main Reading Room, the iconic lion statues Patience and Fortitude, the Stephen A. Schwarzman building, the Milstein Division, the map collection, the book train and more.
Special thanks to the Bryant Park Corporation. Special thanks to The New York Public Library.
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Pre WW1 architecture was unbelievably graceful and refined... The fact that a few of such classical majestic buildings with even some baroque touches were even built in north America is great....
Now we know where the origins are derived from.
This woman is talking BS.look at it Paul Bartlet did nothing.its all lies
Get ready for the future. Bio mimicry and Organic design alongside the concepts of computational and parametric design is greatly influencing architecture....
@@cyndeeratledge3093 where?
For all of us who haven’t been able to visit yet, thank you for giving us the next best thing with this tour. Majestic!
I visited the library in 2014 on holiday, this was one of the highlights of my holiday. I heard at Sesame street was going to be here but was at another library, it I saw big bird in central park, I spent most of my youth being called big bird (I was big in size and surname was bird lol)
@@angelabird4794 Funny about Big Bird in Central Park. If you just keep walking through Manhattan, you will see many more crazy characters than Big Bird, lol.
Ash... is still just taking a long nap there
😭
noo 😭
rgbrtbretbvyteyhh legit was expecting the comments to be like this
I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT
😀
So fascinating! So much better than celebrities homes! Keep up THIS type of content. Content that MATTERS.
Wait, you don't like the MTV Cribs series? Why not?? Sorry, I had to. I understood you, and kind of agree. One don't have to choose between either, as architecture of private homes can be very interesting, too. The old world official buildings are PACKED with symbolism that one don't notice at a first glance, so videos like these are incredible, though.
Leinad Esuark All that to store worthless knowledge, 😜 crazy.
Leinad Esuark it’s not all that impressive when you’re actually there. I was bored actually
You right bro.
Homes aren't intended for public consumption. This was, pointedly. Acts of generosity like this have been shirked: ignored by beneficiaries, and relegated to "the government" by the people with actual taxable income (prior to using every loophole unimagineable). This content doesn't just matter, it's critical to maintaining a civil democracy. Stupid American money. Seriously. Too many f*ing rich people don't read anything that doesn't help them accrue more wealth.
I can't articulate how much I love this series. First the video on Grand Central and now this. Absolutely stunning! Keep up the excellent work, I can't wait to see more content of this nature.
Cool
love the changing in voices, keeps my brain attentive!
Exactly 😊
Wow, this was just stunning! I'm so embarrassed that I've been to the main library less than a handful of times in the over 4 decades I've been (born and raised) living here. I've stood on Fifth Avenue, waiting for a bus, with this behind me and it's never occurred to me to go in and take a look. This was a wonderful reminder to me to be more of a tourist in my own city!
It's true that we often take whatever beautiful things around us for granted. This library will definitely make you love and feel proud of your city.
I'm from Tulsa and I found the NY Library breathtaking. I'm so glad my daughter and I went inside.
Absolutely agree. Same here. I think I went in there twice.
HOW
I am old enough to remember when libraries were where you went to find stuff out, and had the luck of living in NYC and actually doing research, from books, in the Rose Reading Room. Too bad I didn't realize how awesome it was. For me it was school work and drudgery. As Joni said, you never know what you've got till it's gone.
@phuck ewe True, and thank God, but I'm reminded of another line from the song, where they take all the trees, put'em in a tree museum, and charge the people a dollar and a half just to see'em. 'Fraid that's what'll happen to books.
R W • Or a line from the great Room 222: “Book? What’s a book?”
phuck ewe • Bingo! 😂
As a lover of books and a genealogist, I would be in library heaven in this magnificent structure. You NYC folks have so many beautiful buildings to be proud of, and the NYC Public Library has to rank as one of the greatest. Cheers from the Southern U.S.
yes :) ty
i LOVE the way this was filmed!
i mostly agree.... but the complete lack of stabilization (either via gimbal or stabilizer) in conjunction with the editor's choice to speed up the footage in short bursts leads to discombobulation and eye strain. it kinda seems like they got permission to film, then just sent a kid in with a list of rooms & items to film and a dslr... perhaps it wouldn't make me dizzy if i wasn't sick, but other videos don't have the same effect. love the series concept though....
This is a computer rendering and not a video. I am impressed with the rendering quality. I wonder what program was used to create this presentation?
same
@@Mike-dy8bq This is a video taken normally with a camera. Why would you think otherwise?
@@kevinobyrne8020 I also find something different about the way this was shot and edited. I have no idea on video making, but keen to try and replicate this style , any pointers ?
Fell in love with this Beautiful building when I was in High School (1974-1978) on visits to New York to see my Uncle. Fill in love again when they destroyed it in the movie The Day After Tomorrow. The scene where they are in the Rose Reading room gathering books to burn in the fireplace to keep warm always gets to me. The One guy (as the small group of survivors is being air lifted out) refuses to leave with out the Gideon Bible.
The Day After Tomorrow, and Sex and The City, the movie, where Big leaves Carrie waiting on those steps leading up to the catalog room. 😄
Excellent. In my early 20s when I was dirt poor and now that life has blessed me tremendously (I live a few blocks away in Murray Hill), this library and Bryant Park have always been my reading oasis.
Please make more of these
A STUNNING TOUR OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY ON 5TH AVE! Lots of gorgeous details! Used to hang out here when I lived in NYC a few times and when I was little used to eat hot chestnuts in the winter from a small brown paper bag on the front steps near those old Lion heads when we visited NYC on the weekends. My late godfather used to work in Periodicals here in the 1950s and I remember visiting him here. The most fascinating thing is this great Beaux Arts building sits where the massive Croton Reservoir used to be encased in a gigantic Egyptian tomb like building where it's said the late great Edgar Allan Poe used to walk around the promenade on top around the perimeter of the reservoir! So technically this library would have been under water during the mid to late 1800s until it was torn down. Apparently, one can still see the remnants of the foundation of that massive Egyptian edifice in the basement! Thanks so much for sharing....great job!
“Must be a nice dream..”
Sayonara
"my soul is always with you"
👊😔🔫
I refuse to believe he's dead but at the same time Garden of Light is haunting me
The narrating is marvelous. It is professional, welcoming, and informative. Love this video tour of such a grand space!
Agree.
I think I'm in love with the rose reading room , I mean who wouldn't fall in love with a place like that , the way the sunlight hits those wooden tables is spectacular. Love at first sight . Even tho I haven't been there in person , I fell in love with that place because of this amazing video.
Oh my god, it was like a time travel. The stunning library has literally everything you ever needed. New Yorkers are so lucky.
Absolutely amazing. I've visited from London, England a few times. Always blown away by the scale, quality and refinement of Beaux-Arts buildings in the US. We have nothing to compare in terms of public buildings.
my soul is always with this library.
New York city is an elegant architectural revelation. Grand central, the library, it's bridges, arches, points near Rockefeller Center, city hall and so so soo much more. I anticipated that New York would surprise me, but its architectural heritage and history blew me away. Gorgeous :).
yes :) its pretty rad
I would love to smell some of those 📚...one of my favorite smells very nostalgic
The library in Eugene Oregon is beautiful but smells like a putrid homeless person.
I clicked on this expecting a few facts about some murals, some statues, some architectural details, etc, but I am stunned by all of it. I can't believe the amount of forethought and design, the tiny details like book trolleys! And the stacks extending out beneath the park, books below, ice skaters above. I have been to the library, I have seen some of it, but now I know I have to go back and basically vacation there until my regret for having overlooked this place goes away. Amazing job, AD.
This is why I love old architecture, built with such detail, thought and charm!
I love this series so much!!
Ash I'll be coming to visit you soon (:💞
Say hi to him for me please
"Sayonara New York, Sayonara America, But I wont say sayonara to you Ash. Because this isnt a goodbye, I know we'll see each other again.. someday" 💔
I was having a good, happy day, but *not anymore* 🙃
I've leisurely visited NYC several times over the past few years and I fall more in love with the city's architecture & history each time. I'm only now putting this library on my itinerary for my next trip up there this weekend since it'll be close to where I'm staying this time around. So excited to see all of this in person with an enriched perspective! Absolutely beautiful.
the building is majestic and a true ode to classical architecture...love this tour! can't wait to see it in person!
OMG! I love libraries. I have never been to this one but I would love to visit. Thank you for this wonderful video. I really appreciate it.
this comment made my day you have a great mind and a talent for this and made my day
It is worth visiting. I “lived” in the reading room when attending graduate school during the 70s. I love the NYPL.
This was on of the most exciting videos I've ever watched! Thank you AD!!!
You know, I know the library from 1983 to 1984 and I'm still work there. I've been working there for 38 years. Is a beautiful libraries as good for children, and it's good for in adults and then it's good for college people and it's good for the people who's in college and people was the regular school program, but it's a beautiful building and been there for a long time. So I got about four more years to retire, but that's another story. Like I said, it is a beautiful building. Believe me. I work there. I know how it is. I will bring my grandchildren over there to the library. It keeps them a lot. That's my opinion.
Ain’t gunna lie I just wanna go there one day to put flowers or smt for ash😭💔😿
I WANTED THIS COMMENT
😔🔫
sskigdwhis Please I didn't intend to cry today
Same
SAME I’M LITERALLY GONNA TRAVEL TO NYC ONE DAY JUST TO PUT FLOWERS FOR OUR BOY😟🤞
beautiful. too bad we won't see anything like this build again since everything is minimalistic these days.
it cost $230 million in modern USD to build so... i can see why minimalism is popular
@@BadWithNames123 obviously the US is far too busy making bombs for the saudis to blow up school children in Yemen. Can't afford less than 1% of the military budget to build something as frivolous as a public library. /s
Names-Can you say, handy Billionaires?
Quinton Ashley, lighten up. It's just a library.
They build things low quality now
these "insights" into famous NYC buildings are my favourite . Please keep on doing them !!!
Love that the reading room has so many important classic details. Reading is the key.
I can say that I visited the NY Public Library and I absolutely loved it!! So much history! It’s a gem for all New Yorkers and the world. I’d love to visit again! Thanks for sharing!
I have never been to NYPL, what a stunning place, it's a museum and one must look around and enjoy the gorgeous architecture. Amazing place!
New York is still waiting on the whole "patience" thing!!
I always walk past the library but have never gone in, I’ll be sure to check it out now
This video is a stunning accomplishment. Thank you to everyone involved.
Wonderful! Our family was privileged to experience the New York Public Library in 2018, at the time of our younger son’s wedding! We all loved the Rose Reading Room, and the hall outside with the murals of the history of the printed word. Wish we could have spent more time there, but it was truly unforgettable.
So many beautiful memories, I used to spend time at the library every day and do my homework there in peace and tranquility.
When I lived in the US, libraries were my favourite places. So many stunning ones!
So crazy. So many books. Reminds me of the library of Alexandria. So much knowledge that was lost back then.
It's such a majestic building not only coz of it's size but also the past it holds. Thank you for such a beautiful video
WE NEED MORE VIDEOS LIKE THISSS
I would really love to see other civic architecture like the national Capitol and other buildings in DC. Your analyses are really wonderful to watch!
I would prefer the Capitol building not be surveyed, for future domestic terrorists.
This is a tremendous video, which I absolutely love. So, it pains me to say it, but there is an error. The seal which was highlighted on the table in the periodical room is that of New York City, not New York State. Thank you, Architectural Digest, for this terrific series. What an absolutely stunning and endlessly fascinating building. And we didn’t even get to the wonderful galleries throughout the spaces. An absolute treasure.
I love these videos. Because of the stories and details behind these buildings, but also since I can't go there myself -- I'm from the Netherlands, and travelling to NY isn't cheap. Please keep making these!
Maybe not cheap but can still be done on a budget. Don't go during peak season. Flights from Amsterdam are actually among the cheapest, as there are many cheaper indirect flights to choose from (around 400 EUR, sometimes even less).
I'm Dutch and it's not that expensive. Tickets are not expensive and Airbnb ..
this made my day you have a great mind and a talent for this and made my day
Noatak Kenway same here! But all my friends call me crazy, i want to go so badly
Unbelieveable, I wish I see this video 10 years ago when my family lived in New York City, and I should visit it definitely
Visited this library for the first time with my friend and it was so great to be able to get a background on where we have been! Kind of like a free tour 😂
P.S. Did you know that there's a classic movie from the 1930s with Fred McMurray and Claudette Colbert where they're sitting on that side marble seat outside to the side of the building and they're eating from a bag of popcorn? Can't think of the name of that movie right now, but I thought that was of interest! Don't know whether it was filmed in NYC or a set but they didn't shoot on location back then if at all so it was probably a set but looked like the real thing. Love the new restaurant in the back and didn't realize that there were fountains out front. They've done a fabulous job with the restoration and landscaping...gorgeous!! I've shared this on FB with all my friends and family, well worth watching! Thanks again~
Thanks for sharing this. It’s quite interesting. I was at Bryant Park last summer and didn’t know that this national landmark is right next to it. 😮
This was a brilliantly conducted tour. When I was completing my Master's in Library Services at Columbia, we were given a tour, and this has been even better. At that time, 1971. while marveling at the whole, our group was transfixed by the Gutenberg Bible. seeing a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and an early map. Scholars in the main reading room were in rows --wearing cotton gloves-- sitting by elegant green shaded lamps, and we got shushed . Two points may be of interest. First. and sadly, the main entrance hall was once lined with marble benches. The reality of New York's homeless men caused all to be removed. Part of our grad school learning (for those who would be working in a city) was this harbinger. My second point was that the catalog drawers lining the walls are now empty. A quiet and superb effort over years has resulted in the availability of scrolling through a computer (previously cranking through a film or a microfiche) .
YES!! FINALLY!! Another "Details" video!! Thank you so much!! Keep 'em coming!!!
This tour was amazing! So informative and well filmed!
please do a series on the wonderful public secret doors of New York , which so few realize is there for them to enjoy and use !
It could bee this beautiful building with thousends of books the King of librariys.Exciting. lots of spirits and souls
That's not just a building, it's a soul. Wow 😳 Mesmerizing.
Absolutely incredible video - saved to my favorites to watch again! Thank you so much for making and posting this !!!
**cries in Banana Fish**
I- 👁️👄👁️ Don't do me like this my day was going somewhat nice
This is my favorite building in New York, and I learned so much -- please keep this series going!
The combination of the library and Bryant Park makes one of the best urban places on earth.
Fantastic tour! Casual yet super informative
WOW!!!!!!! What a magnificent structure!!!! All that is involved in the making of this is overwhelming
New York is so packed with architectural gems. It’s such an impressive city
Really hope stuff like this comes back into fashion. It is beautiful
This series is so phenomenal. Thank you @Architecturaldigest for this content! Please continue feeding our brains and inspiring our curiosity. Cheers!
I absolutely love this series more please! So much NY history to be passed down
"...a visual treat for the visitor." And for the YT viewer! Great video of a great edifice.
Please produce more of these pieces on public spaces! So many historic NYC buildings I would love to learn about!
Just casually taking notes. Totally inspired me to make a library dungeons and dragons map for a potential encounter
thank you for this incredibly informative and engaging video. almost as good as an in person tour, yet, in some ways better (multiple guides add their own spin, highlighted details). So grateful for the enriching stories that further enhance my in-person experience, notably a deeper appreciation of the thoughtful design.
This channel is the best on KZhead. Period!
I live in New York and work in the area, I never knew there is so many exclusive private room to the library! I feel like I was given a private tour which is wonderful! Thank you!
Wonderful explanations of the library for all ofus not from NYC. Thank you!
WOAH. this was just magical ♥ you guys are doing things right. hopefully one day I could visit and fall in love with the building once more!
One of my very favorite buildings. Loved getting to see more of it!
As a native NY'er and amateur Architecture nerd, I really enjoy the AD series on the legendary building of the city that I have walked through all my life. Thank you
Fantastic video of a beautiful space. I'd love to watch more videos like this.
The best tour! Pls make more of this kind of video.
This is such a beautiful building. There are so many hidden surprises you see if you wander through the rooms.
Saw NY public library in the adjustment bureau and was blown away by it AND the US customs House. Cannot wait to visit one day. New yorkers are blessed 😊
Absolutely fascinating!
This is an amazing video. Thank you so much for this Well researched and well presented. I appreciate this great building all the more after viewing this.
Always love to visit this library every time I go to NYC. This video will make my next visit more meaningful. Thank you, especially the behind-the-scenes working system. Fascinating and extraordinary. In fact, I have been including public libraries in my world travel.
There´s no more to say but thanks for taking us through the massivness of this notable building in Midtown. Content that matters, keep doing this guys..
Now this is how to build a public building, not that horrible modern glass and concrete. Great video.
This is amazing!!
I really enjoyed this tour of the New York City Library...I would love to see it in person but this is the next best thing! Thank you 📚❤️
How is this series not continuing !?! This is the best, please revisit and continue to release content like this!
Love the way this filmed!
I ate this up. Thank you!
The Rose Reading Room is one of my favorite places on Earth. I whiled away many an hour doing graduate study there a couple decades ago and I still miss that environment so much!
I LOVE this Library. Its stunning! The design and architecture is impeccable. I can sit there all day and there is always something new to look at, besides books.
12:40 this is where the library fight scene happens in John Wick: Parabellum, they fall to the ground floor and finish it there.
This was great. Thank you for this. It would be great to do one on the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, America's library.
This was a wonderful look at a truly grand library. Tony's shrink also did a beautiful job as tour guide.
oh, my god! How amazing it is! Thank you very much for your priceless videos about NY architecture!