THE BUILDING FOE THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 627 



plan was based on that adopted by the original act, and provided a 

 buildiijg of similar form, dimensions, and architecture. The project 

 embodied the principal materials of construction and a detailed esti- 

 mate of the cost. 



Under these auspices operations were begun in the sjwing of 1889 

 where the operations had left ofi" the year before, and the construction 

 thence proceeded without interruption until the building was iinally 

 completed, in the spring of 1897. It is 470 feet in length by 340 feet in 

 width, having three stories and a subbasement, and fronts west — toward 

 the Capitol. Each of the six pavilions contains an attic. The accom- 

 panying illustrations show the floor plans of the three principal stories 

 and views of the interior and exterior of the building. The first guid- 

 ing principle of the design to accommodate a nation's library was that 

 an ample general reading room should be located within the mass of 

 the books, to insure their easy reach and access. The next was ample 

 light and air, combined with security and latitude for future growth of 

 the collections and their uses; then that all necessary accommodations 

 should be provided for the constant work involved in the care, use, and 

 increase of the Library and its several departments, including suitable 

 halls for the exhibition of the curiosities and varieties of bibliography 

 and the graphic art. 



In planning the building it was also recognized that its peculiar 

 importance and functions, as well as its location near the Capitol, 

 demanded a monumental treatment throughout, and consequently the 

 most substantial and durable construction, and a high order of fine art. 

 In endeavoring to meet all the utilitarian requirements of a national 

 library in the present generation it was found that library science was 

 in a state of rapid evolution, and that the future of the subordinate 

 departmental locations and needs was not sufficiently defined to enable 

 special provisions to be made for them during the construction of the 

 building. As a collection of books, however, to be housed in shelves, 

 and used by readers, the problem of shelving and reading room was 

 much more clearly presented, although book shelving, on a scale of 

 millions of A^olumes, had not hitherto approached a stage of perfection. 



Out of these conditions the plan of the building was evolved. First, 

 a reading room of octagonal ijlan, to accommodate 250 to 300 readers, 

 with ample light from the sky through clearstory windows at a high 

 angle, is placed in the center of the building. Adjoining this on three 

 sides, stacks of book shelving are located, the main entrance being' on 

 a fourth side. Four alternate octagonal sides have wings to the fronts 

 of the building, and the other four sides open into as many large courts. 

 The cross plan thus formed is inclosed by four fronts, forming on the 

 whole a rectangular plan, and containing spaces for the subordinate 

 departments of the library, for the expansion of the stacks of book 

 shelving as future needs will require, and for the exhibition halls, spe- 

 cial reading rooms, staff offices, etc. For the reason given the spaces 

 in the front sections of the building are generally not subdivided, but 



