Stop 51. The Façade

Colin B. Bailey, Director
From 1902 to 1906, hundreds of people worked to fulfill Morgan’s commission and realize McKim’s design, from the quarrymen who extracted the stone in east Tennessee to the masons who set the blocks with exquisite precision. More than a century later, a contemporary team of specialists has honored their labor by restoring this well-made building, cleaning and repairing the façade, statuary, and front doors, as well as the elegant bronze perimeter fence. The restoration respects and enhances the restrained façades of both the original Library and Renzo Piano’s addition.