Beinecke Library Up Close

Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT
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Beinecke Library Up Close

Beinecke Library interior

Credit

Matt Andrew

Take an insider's tour of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Gordon Bunshaft's masterpiece at the heart of the Yale University campus in New Haven. First opened to the public on October 14, 1963, the library underwent a complete renovation in 2015-16. In celebration of °®¶¹app Tour Day and the library's 56th anniversary, participants may well receive a sweet treat of chocolate rendered in marvelous modern form inspired by Bunshaft.

To learn more about the library, its history, architecture, mission, collections, and programs, please visit: . 

This event is free, no registration necessary.


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Credit:

Michael Morand

Beinecke Library interior

Credit:

Matt Andrew

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Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

The construction of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, designed by SOM principal Gordon Bunshaft and completed in 1963, marked a radical shift in architectural aesthetic of the Yale University campus, which was as a whole was styled according to a common collegiate Gothic formula. Known for his glass-and-steel curtain wall designs, Bunshaft knew that large windows would be a risky inclusion and necessitate careful design planning to protect a remarkably fragile collection. The decision to grid the façade in large 1-1/4”-thick Vermont marble panes was borne out of the need for muted light that would not put the building’s contents at risk. The library is a visually bold and entirely unique building that is well used, well known, and well cared for -- all hallmarks of successful architecture.