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.

The building itself is very old and important. It was designed by Peter Harrison and finished in 1750. This makes it the first building in the United States built just to be a library. It's also the oldest building in the country built in the neo-Classical style. The library has been open and used continuously since it first opened its doors.

The building is part of a larger historic area called the Kay Street–Catherine Street–Old Beach Road Historic District. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1960 because of its importance.

History of the Redwood Library
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History of the Redwood Library

How the Library Started

The Redwood Library began in 1747 in Newport, Rhode Island. A man named Abraham Redwood and 45 other people from the area created it. Their main goal was to make books and knowledge available to more people in Newport.

The first part of the library building was constructed between 1748 and 1750. The architect, Peter Harrison, designed it. Only one other library in the United States, the Library Company of Philadelphia, is older. That one was founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin. 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. He helped start Brown University and later became president of Yale University.

This library was the first public building in America built in a classical style. It was designed to look like buildings by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio. This style is known as 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 from London. During the American Revolution, British soldiers took many books from the library. However, many of these books were later returned.

One of the most well-known librarians at the Redwood Library was Ezra Stiles. He was very important in starting Brown University and later became the president of Yale University.

Changes in the 1800s

In 1833, the library grew and changed its name to The Company of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum. By 1858, so many people had joined and so many books had been collected that the library needed more space. This new part was called the Roderick Terry Reading Room. It was designed by George Snell from Boston.

About 10 years after the Reading Room was finished, the library thought about another expansion. They contacted a famous architect named Richard Morris Hunt. His ideas were very grand. He suggested building a completely new and larger stone and marble structure. However, Hunt's 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 his ideas for changing Peter Harrison's original design.

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

The Library in the 1900s and Today

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

Today, the Redwood Library has a huge collection. It has more than 200,000 books. It also has a museum collection with art and other interesting items. The building was officially named a National Historic Landmark in 1966.