New York Public Library, New York (must see)

Officially known as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, but more commonly as the 42nd Street main branch, this is the New York Public Library in its most dramatic form. The building occupies a prime spot on Fifth Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets, sharing the block with Bryant Park and wearing its Beaux-Arts architecture like a tailored suit that never went out of style.

The story dates back to 1895, when the Astor and Lenox Libraries merged and suddenly needed a home worthy of their combined ambitions. The chosen location sat beneath the old Croton Distributing Reservoir, a granite fortress that had outlived its usefulness. The firm Carrère & Hastings was brought in to replace it with something grander, brighter, and considerably more inviting than a municipal water tank.

When the library finally opened on May 24, 1911, New Yorkers poured in. The first borrowed book—an earnest study comparing Nietzsche and Tolstoy—set the tone for the building’s intellectual aspirations. Within its first week, a quarter of a million visitors wandered its halls, proving that the city was more than ready for a cultural showpiece.

The exterior lives up to its reputation. Vermont marble and brick form the façade, while bronze windows and fixtures add a warm contrast. Above the central entrance, pediments display allegorical sculptures of Life, Painting, and Sculpture—just in case you needed a reminder that this building takes the arts seriously... A graceful balcony stretches along the Fifth Avenue side, tying the whole ensemble together.

Approach the main entrance, and you’ll ascend a grand staircase toward a deep portico with six Corinthian columns and three archways. And waiting to greet you—calm, composed, and eternally photogenic—are the two famous Tennessee marble lions flanking the steps. They’ve stood watch for more than a century, making sure everyone entering this library does so with a sense of occasion...