Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Colonial library in Newport, United States.
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a historic library building in Newport, Rhode Island, opened in 1750 and designed by architect Peter Harrison. The facade is modeled after an ancient temple, with a wooden colonnade and a pediment that gives the building the appearance of stone, though it is built from wood.
The library was founded in 1747 after Abraham Redwood donated 500 pounds sterling to establish a collection for the colony. The building completed in 1750 is considered the oldest library building still in use in the United States.
The Redwood Library is one of the oldest continuously operating membership libraries in the country, still run by its members today. Visitors can see 18th-century paintings, sculptures, and books that remain part of the active collection, not stored away but on display in the reading rooms.
The library sits in the historic center of Newport and is easy to reach on foot from most of the city's main sights. A visit rewards both those interested in the collection and those who come simply to see the building, so it is worth allowing a little extra time.
Peter Harrison, the building's architect, was not a trained architect but a merchant and sea captain who taught himself through books. He drew on volumes from the library's own collection to design it, making the building a rare case where the contents of a library directly shaped its architecture.
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