Last week I visited the Mercantile Library in downtown Cincinnati with my friends Roy and Tiffany. As you may know, Cincinnati has an incredible public library system and quite a history of breathtaking libraries. If you have never before seen the photos of the old public library check it out here (jaw-dropping...straight out of Harry Potter!).
I had never been to this library before and it did not disappoint. It is located on the 11th and 12th floors of the Mercantile Library Building at 414 Walnut. When you step out of the elevator and walk into the main room you are greeted by beautiful, old, wood magazine and book racks and gorgeous domed windows that span the entire space. Below you can see the main room and the book stacks at the far end.
If you visit the library it is worth climbing the old stairs to walk among the stacks. It is hard to tell from the photo but the floor is made of thick glass panes that are semi-transparent. If you are scared of heights it might make you feel a little weird. Plus the whole structure of stacks appears to float, seemingly held up from pipes from the ceiling.
And if that isn't magical enough for you there is a spiral staircase that leads to the 12th floor!
And on the twelfth floor is a GORGEOUS reading room decked out in the arts and crafts style.
I didn't even mention the main draw for many people. They serve coffee and although I don't drink coffee my friends said it was delicious.
So if you are looking for a nice outing for the day I highly recommend visiting this amazing place. As I stood looking out from the stacks over the main room I couldn't help but feel like a student at Hogwarts looking for a book on advanced potion making. I didn't find that book but I did find a nice one for muggles on how to tame dragons.
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ― Stephen King
No comments:
Post a Comment