Boston Public Library
Good to know
- Best time to go
- Year-round
- Budget
- $
- Accessibility
- wheelchair-accessible
- Coordinates
- Open in maps
The first large free municipal library in the United States occupies a grand Renaissance Revival palace on Copley Square. Its central McKim building, opened in 1895, was conceived as a palace for the people, with a marble staircase, vaulted Bates Hall reading room, and murals by John Singer Sargent and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. A quiet Italianate courtyard offers a retreat at the heart of the city. Beyond its architecture, the library holds rare manuscripts, maps, and colonial documents.
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