I do love me some library — stacks of books in an elegant or imposing setting? Yes! And the George Peabody Library in Baltimore comes through on both counts. George Peabody was a local wealthy merchant and donated money in 1857 to start the library. Begun in 1860, the library collection now contains more than 300,000 volumes largely from the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s a non-circulating library, so you have to read your checked-out book downstairs. And you can’t wander upstairs through the stacks, so no browsing. But it is open to the public, so just go on in.
The building opened in 1878. It was designed by Edmund George Lind, early in his architectural career. He designed a variety of buildings throughout his career — houses, churches, industrial buildings — primarily in the eastern part of the South. But this library is his masterpiece.
Five levels of stacks lead up to a dramatic skylight that provides nice lighting for the interior.
The five tiers of intricate cast-iron balconies pleasantly contrast with the understated neo-Greek columns. But flashes of gold in the scalloped ornament and the Greek key pattern keep the columns from being just a sidekick to the railings.
Even if you don’t come to peruse the first editions by Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, and H. L. Mencken, the George Peabody Library is a beautiful — and free — interior you could explore. Combine it with Baltimore’s Washington Monument just right outside its front door.
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