The library complex on Madison Avenue took shape over almost 100 years: the main building in the Renaissance style appeared in 1906, a laconic new building was added in 1928, and in 1991-1994 a faceless glass atrium was built. It also includes the city mansion of John P. Morgan, the founder of the library, located nearby and now occupied by offices.
The atrium of the 1990s fell victim to a rebuilding by Renzo Piano, which includes a new main façade, an entrance hall, a central atrium, a new reading room on the third floor, a gallery of manuscripts and autographs in the same place, as well as underground premises: a storage room for 350,000 units storage, concert and lecture hall for 280 people and another new gallery.
Basically, all new glass and steel constructions are concentrated in the free space between the existing buildings. They are separated from the previous buildings by strips of glass, allowing pedestrians to look from the street inside the building, into its courtyard.
The new façade is clad in cream-colored steel (matching the marble of the 1920s case) and the lower part is fully glazed. Upon entering, the visitor passes through a low lobby under the volume of the reading room, and enters a glass and white steel atrium with cherry wood floors. From there you can get to all six exhibition galleries and to the Morgan library itself. Its transparent back wall offers views of the city.
As with all Piano additions, the ceiling of the atrium is glass, but in order to prevent sunlight from damaging the exhibits, the ceilings are supplemented with metal blinds and non-woven awnings.
The underground auditorium deserves special mention: its walls are lined with cherry, and the chairs are upholstered in bright red fabric.
The former Morgan family nest has been transformed by Renzo Piano from an office building into a full-fledged part of the library complex: a restaurant and a museum store are located there.
The renovation took three years and cost $ 102 million. As a result, the exhibition space has doubled, and a total of 7,000 sq. m of new space.
