J. Pierpont Morgan’’s Library: An American Architectural Masterpiece

This beautifully illustrated publication celebrates the first-ever restoration of the exterior of J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library--the historic heart of the Morgan Library & Museum. This beautifully illustrated publication celebrates the first-ever restoration of the exterior of J. Pierpont Morgan’s Library -- the historic heart of the Morgan Library & Museum. Morgan’s Library has stood as a significant cultural landmark ever since it was commissioned by J. Pierpont Morgan for personal use at the start of the 20th century. Its transition to a public institution in the twenties has lent to an even greater flood of admiration and patronage, by both local and international audiences. The elegant design by Charles Follen McKim stands as one of the finest examples of neoclassical architecture in the United States, significant for its distinctive Italian Renaissance style and its opulent interior period rooms. The site has been designated both a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The book, following on the heels of the completed restoration, will punctuate this latest milestone in the building’s storied history.

Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan Library & Museum, is a specialist in eighteenth- century French art. Barry Bergdoll is the Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History at Columbia University and the former chief curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Andrew Dolkart is a professor of historic preservation at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Christine Nelson is the Drue Heinz Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. Brian Regan is the architectural advisor to the Morgan Library & Museum.