A magnificent place to read
The reading room at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is just spectacular. Recently updated, it now includes modern technology that was sadly lacking before. Photo by Jim Murphy, author of Real Philly History, Real Fast.
When I interviewed the then-director of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia in 2014, I didn’t realize the lack of a reading room at The Library Company of Philadelphia was one of the reasons this organization started in 1814.
She never mentioned it. I only learned this fact years later from Bruce Laverty, curator of architecture at Philadelphia’s Athenaeum.
Its members wanted better hours than Ben Franklin’s Library Company offered. Plus, they wanted a place where they could sit and read. In fact, says executive director emeritus Roger W. Moss, The Athenaeum began as “a reading room for noncirculating books and periodicals.”
So, when The Athenaeum built its current building in 1845, it included the beautiful room above on the second floor.
The only problem: the original reading room had just two electrical outlets, one of them under the librarian’s desk.
Now, after major renovations to the entire building, the reading room … with its towering 24-feet-high ceiling … has plenty of new outlets, power strips and USB ports for today’s modern readers.
This entire building at 219 S. 6th Street is well worth a visit. Not only for its changing exhibits on the first floor, but for the structure itself … and its special collections and services. These include: the American Architects & Buildings Project, Greater Philadelphia Geohistory Network and Regional Digital Imaging Center.
Some Sources:
https://philaathenaeum.org/
https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/athenaeum-of-philadelphia/
https://whyy.org/articles/athenaeum-of-philadelphia-reopens-after-1-6-million-renovations/
https://www.antiquehomesmagazine.com/reading-room/the-athenaeum-of-philadelphia-a-new-history-for-historic-preservation-and-why-it-matters-today/
https://www.phillymag.com/property/2023/02/13/philadelphia-athenaeum-makeover/