Redwood Library and Athenaeum Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Redwood Library and Athenaeum

The building's façade
Type	Subscription library
Established	1747 (1747)
Location	Newport, Rhode Island
Access and use
Circulation	15.2 thousand (2018)
Other information
Director	Benedict Leca, Ph.D. FRSA

The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a special place in Newport, Rhode Island. It's more than just a library; it's also a museum, a home for rare books, and a research center. It was started way back in 1747.

You can find it at 50 Bellevue Avenue. The building itself is very old and important. It was designed by Peter Harrison and finished in 1750. This makes it the very first building in the United States built specifically to be a library! It's also the oldest building in the country designed in the Neo-Classical style.

The Redwood Library has been open and used continuously since it first opened its doors. It's part of a historic area called the Kay Street–Catherine Street–Old Beach Road Historic District. Because of its importance, it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

A Look at the Library's History
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A Look at the Library's History

How the Library Started in the 1700s

The Redwood Library began in 1747. A man named Abraham Redwood and 45 other people in Newport, Rhode Island, wanted to make books and knowledge available to more people. They formed a group called "The Company of the Redwood Library."

The main part of the library building was built between 1748 and 1750. Peter Harrison was the architect who designed it. Only one other library in the United States, the Library Company of Philadelphia, is older. That one was started by Benjamin Franklin in 1731. The Redwood Library is older than many other famous libraries, like the Charleston Library Society (1748) and the New York Society Library (1754).

Early Redwood librarian, the Rev. Ezra Stiles, painted in 1770–1771, by Samuel King.

This library was the first public building in America built in a classical style. It was designed to look like buildings by the famous Italian architect Andrea Palladio. This style is called Georgian-Palladian. The front of the building, which faces Bellevue Avenue, was inspired by a drawing in a book about Palladio's architecture.

The oldest part of the library is now called the Harrison Room. It still holds many of the original books that were bought in London. During the American Revolution, British soldiers took many books from the library. Luckily, many of these books were later returned.

One important librarian at the Redwood Library was Ezra Stiles. He was a co-founder of Brown University and later became the president of Yale University.

Changes and Growth in the 1800s

In 1833, the library grew and changed its name to "The Company of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum." This meant it was becoming even more important as a place for learning.

By 1858, the library had so many members and books that it needed more space. An architect named George Snell from Boston designed an expansion. This new part became known as the Roderick Terry Reading Room.

Just ten years later, another architect, Richard Morris Hunt, was asked to plan an even bigger expansion. His ideas were very grand. He suggested replacing the wooden building with a completely new one made of stone and marble. However, his plans were not used. It's not clear if this was because the library didn't have enough money or if they didn't like how his plans changed Peter Harrison's original design.

In 1875, the library did get another expansion. This part, called the Rovensky Delivery Room, was designed by George Champlin Mason. Back then, books were kept in closed areas. When someone wanted a book, the librarian would get it and bring it to them in the delivery room.

The 1900s and Today

In 1915, a historian and architect named Norman Isham worked to make the Harrison Room look like it did when it was first built in the 1700s.

Today, the Redwood Library has a huge collection of over 200,000 books. It also has a museum with art and other interesting items. In 1966, the building was officially recognized as a National Historic Landmark.