Description

Central Public Library was designed by Cass Gilbert of New York City (who also designed the Woolworth Building in New York) and was opened to the public in 1912. Financed in part by a $500,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, the $1.5 million Renaissance Revival building is one of the finest public buildings in St. Louis. It is built of Maine granite and approached by a monumental staircase on the Olive Street side; the jewel of the building is probably the two storey central hall, which is covered by a lavishly decorated, coffered ceiling. Numerous ceilings in other rooms are based on models from Renaissance Florence.