The New York City Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) announced this morning that it has designated the Rose Main Reading Room and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room of the New York Public Library as the city’s 120th Interior Landmark.
The Beaux-Arts rooms feature 52-foot-tall molded plaster ceilings with arched windows and original murals painted by James Wall Finn—which underwent major restoration last year. Among other notable architectural features are “imitation Caenstone walls, quarry tile and marble floors, and wood and bronze finishes,” according to the commission’s press release.
Built in 1911, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1967. The LPC also designated the building’s circulation areas including Astor Hall, the Central stairs, and the McGraw Rotunda as the city’s first Interior Landmark in 1974. Read the full press release on the LPC’s website.
