The Jefferson Building, The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.,
Jim Higgins, photographer

America is justly proud of this gorgeous and palatial monument to its National sympathy and appreciation of Literature, Science, and Art.

Guidebook, ca. 1897.
From Jefferson's Legacy: A Brief History of the Library of Congress,
by John Y. Cole, Director, Center for the Book.

On November 1, 1897, the first Library of Congress building opened its doors to the public. Previously, the Library had been housed in the Congressional Reading Room in the U.S. Capitol.

Main Reading Room,
Library of Congress (Jefferson Building), Washington, D.C.,
Theodor Horydczak, photographer, ca. 1920-1950.
Washington as It Was, 1923-1959

In 1871, Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Spofford suggested the construction of a separate building for the Library which had outgrown its cramped quarters. Congress approved the plan in 1886, and architects John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz set out to design a facility worthy of Spofford's concept of the Library of Congress as "America's National Library."

According to Library historian John Cole, Spofford "envisioned a circular, domed reading room at the Library's center, surrounded by ample space for the Library's various departments." When completed, it was the largest and costliest library building in the world.

Thomas Jefferson's Library, the seed from which today's Library grew, is now housed in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. This volume is a work by sixteenth-century master Andrea Palladio, whose classical influence can be seen in Jefferson's own architectural designs.

Reid Baker, photographer,
From Jefferson's Legacy,
by John Y. Cole

Architects Thomas Casey and Bernard Green assumed control of the project in 1888 and began to focus on the interior of the building which they hoped to make a showcase for the talents of American artists and artisans. "The elaborate embellishment" of the building's interior, Cole writes in Jefferson's Legacy, "is worth careful attention, for few structures represent human thought and aspiration in such dramatic fashion."

In 1980, the building was named the Thomas Jefferson Building in honor of the nation's third president. In 1815, Jefferson had sold his personal collection of 6,487 books to the Library helping to rebuild the holdings which had been destroyed when the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812. Today, the Library of Congress houses most of its collections in three buildings all located on Capitol Hill.

Taking the Long View, 1851-1991, a collection of panoramic photographs, contains a series of pictures of the construction of the Jefferson Building between 1890 and 1893 including photographs of the excavation of the site with views of surrounding buildings. Search the collection on Jefferson Building to find these images.

Learn more about the Library of Congress, its buildings, and its history:

• Search on Jefferson Building in Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920 and Washington as It Was, 1923-1959 to see more images of the exterior structure and the interior decoration.
• On These Walls, a guide to the inscriptions and quotations in the three Capitol Hill buildings of the Library of Congress, includes a history of the Thomas Jefferson Building. The Jefferson Building officially reopened to the public on May 1, 1997 after more than a decade of restoration.
• Learn more about the Library, its resources, and the year 2000 bicentennial celebrations by exploring the Library of Congress Web site.

Excavation of Site for the Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C., 1888.
Taking the Long View, 1851-1991