The New York Public Library has released a series of images after two-year renovation for the Historic Rose Main Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room, which will open its doors on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. 

Located on Fifth Avenue in Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan, two adjacent rooms will reopen on October 5 morning, providing access to the Library’s research collections and space for quiet study. The NYPL also offers daily public tours of the building at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in both spaces.

Rose Main Reading Room after scaffold taken-down. Image © Max Touhey

''The Library has eagerly anticipated the reopening of these glorious rooms, architectural gems which for over 100 years have been home to scholars, writers, students, and all members of the public who want to access our renowned research collections, learn, and create,'' said NYPL President Tony Marx. 

''As great stewards of all of our libraries, we are proud of this important project, which ensures that these spectacular spaces remain as inspiring as they were on they day they opened,'' he added.

Image © Max Touhey

The restoration process of the two rooms took more than two years after an ornamental plaster rosette fell from the Rose Main Reading Room’s 52-foot high ceiling overnight in May of 2014. The  Library conducted a full inspection of the ceilings of both the Rose Main Reading Room and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room, building scaffolding and massive platforms the length of the room for access. 

Image © Max Touhey

The ceilings of the library built with the rest of the Library in 1911 and were found to be in good condition by WJE Engineers & Architects, P.C., the Library decided to make several improvements to the ceiling, including; recreating and replacing the rosette that fell, reinforcing all 900 rosettes in both rooms with steel cables, enlisting renowned muralists EverGreene Architectural Arts to recreate a 27 by 33 foot James Wall Finn mural on the ceiling of the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room. Unlike the murals in the Rose Main Reading Room by the same artist, the Bill Blass mural had not been restored in the 1990s, and a fine arts conservator determined that it sustained irreparable damage, loss of original paint, discoloration, patch jobs and unsophisticated over-paint and working with Aurora Lighting to restore the Room’s chandeliers, including putting in LED lights.

Image © Max Touhey

Managed by Tishman Construction Corporation, an AECOM company, the construction budget was $12 million for restoration, which was completed several months ahead of schedule. The room will be the site of this year’s Library Lions fundraising gala on Monday, November 7.

The Library maintained service for researchers in other rooms, while the rooms were closed throughout restoration. After renovation process completed, research functions will return to Bill Blass and the Rose Main Reading Room with improvements.

Image © Max Touhey

Developed by Gensler Architects and Tishman Construction, the library recently completed construction of a second level of state-of-the-art collections storage under Bryant Park, creating capacity for 4.3 million research volumes at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. 

Image © Max Touhey

The Library began moving materials into the new lower level of the Milstein Research Stacks in the spring; the process is expected to be completed in early 2017. With this increased capacity, the Library estimates that it can fill over 90 percent of research requests with materials located on-site.

Image © Max Touhey

The Library also installed a new, modern conveyor system to bring materials from underground storage to the Rose Main Reading Room. The $2.6 million system – 24 individual cars that each carry materials on a track – is more efficient and easier to maintain than the previous conveyor belt system.

Image © Max Touhey

The Library is offering a free exhibition on the third floor of its Stephen A. Schwarzman Building documenting the recent work in the building as well as historic efforts entitled Preserving a Masterpiece: From Soaring Ceilings to Subterranean Storage, which will be on view through October 9, 2016.

Image © Max Touhey

Rose Main Reading Room Ceiling Restoration. Image © Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

Rose Main Reading Room Ceiling Restoration. Image © Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

Top image © Max Touhey

> via The New York Public Library