It is not a difficult guess that a world-renowned financier Pierpont Morgan had the means and passion for collecting great objet d'art to fill his impressive mansion on 36th street and Madison avenue. It is also very easy to make vast assumptions of his personality purely based on his business dealings. However the true inner workings of his mind is probably something that will remain a mystery to us all, if it were not for the endowment allowing his library collection to be available for public display and to scholars. The extensive collection of rare volumes of work indicates his passion for the collection as well as his thirst for knowledge.
The rare collections and well worn volumes of books filled the shelves of the three rooms situated in the Morgan Library. The two large rooms with the bulk of the collection occupy the two main wings of the graceful old mansion. The Morgan Library is a culmination of three structures combined into one by an unique design in 1991. The resulting atrium is airy and modern with an abundance of glass panels. It is a nice contrast to the old-world charm of the original library wings. The location of each of the libraries also suggest the level of attention that went to building the library and its contents. The smaller library faces the west and decorated in much darker tones, perhaps a space he used most often in the evening hours. The large main library faces the east strewn with the morning sunlight for daytime pursuits. The quality of dark wood paneling, stained glass windows and intricately painted walls and ceilings rival the finest churches in Europe. It is also seemed appropriate that the Morgan collection include some of the rarest collections of religious texts and the bible in multitude of languages. His interest in other topics such as philosophy is outlined by extensive collection of Voltaire in original French. Arts and science texts abound in the massive collection interspersed with fictional classics such as Jane Austin's Emma and Arabian Nights. The Morgan Library collection gives an insight into a renaissance man long past his death, detached from his persona as a financier.
The library is accessible daily except on Mondays and certain holidays. Please check online for special exhibit details.
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