Luiz de Bessa State Public Library, Public library in Funcionários neighborhood, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
The Luiz de Bessa State Public Library is a public library in the Funcionários neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It offers free access to books, periodicals, and digital resources across open reading rooms with natural light.
The library was created in 1954 by Law No. 1,087 under Governor Juscelino Kubitschek, but its headquarters building on Praça da Liberdade was only inaugurated in 1961. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the building was never fully completed. In 2000 the former Treasury annex on Rua da Bahia was renovated and added as the Professor Francisco Iglésias Annex.
The library is named after Antônio Luiz de Bessa, a Portuguese-born journalist and intellectual who edited Estado de Minas and Folha de Minas and organized the state's radio service, including Rádio Inconfidência. Its popular nickname, "Library of Praça da Liberdade," comes from its location beside the square. The building also houses the Arena and José Aparecido Oliveira theaters and the Paulo Campos Guimarães Art Gallery.
The library has two buildings: the main Luiz de Bessa building at Praça da Liberdade 21 and the Professor Francisco Iglésias annex at Rua da Bahia 1889, which holds lending, reference and study rooms plus internet rooms. Guided educational visits are free but must be booked in advance.
The library is one of the few works Niemeyer completed in Belo Horizonte before he shifted his focus to building the new capital, Brasília. This makes it an early example of his style, before his name became known worldwide.
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