Providence Public Library, Research library in downtown Providence, United States.

The Providence Public Library occupies a Renaissance-style building at 225 Washington Street, opened in March 1900, built with a $268,500 gift from John Nicholas Brown I that covered more than half of the $387,000 final cost. A large addition on Empire Street followed in 1954. Brown died six weeks after the opening, when the shelves held 93,000 volumes.

In June 1871 the Franklin Society, the Franklin Lyceum, the Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry and the Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers merged their private libraries to form a free public library, art gallery and natural history museum. It opened in February 1878 on the second floor of the former Butler Exchange at today's Kennedy Plaza, then moved to Snow Street two years later. Ground was broken on Washington Street in 1896 after John Nicholas Brown I gave $268,500 toward the $387,000 cost; he died six weeks after the building opened in March 1900 with 93,000 volumes.

The library displays ship models and Rhode Island historical documents, along with rotating exhibitions about regional printing traditions that reveal how the community valued maritime trade and local craftsmanship.

The entrance is at 225 Washington Street, near the corner with Greene Street in downtown Providence. The 1954 Empire Street addition holds the special collections, so ask staff there before requesting rare items. The 2019 renovation of that wing cost $25 million and changed how those collections are reached.

The Grand Hall features original clerestory windows that flood the classical marble floors with natural light through skylights, creating a bright gathering space for community events. This room demonstrates how the building was designed to serve both research needs and public gathering in a single unified space.