‍08.23.26: Library staircase

‍As a photographer, there are certain scenes that always stop me in my tracks, and I have to get a photo.

‍Passageways or corridors or staircases, especially ones that feature a series of repeating elements, are at the top of that list.

‍My files contain many shots taken through open doorways, beneath arched passageways, or in long corridors. When I view them all on my computer, some are rather boring, others are eye-catching and interesting, and a select few have the combination of composition, detail, and color that make them jump off the screen.

‍This photo of a stairway inside the New York City public library main branch fits the third category.

‍I’ve walked past the library, located on Fifth Avenue between West 40th and West 42nd streets, hundreds of times during visits to New York City. I have many photos of the exterior, some showing the two massive lion sculptures that stand outside the Fifth Avenue entrance and others showing the columns and other exterior elements.

‍But I had never ventured inside until my wife and I were in the city for a visit in 2011. We were walking past the building when she said, “Let’s go inside.”

‍I really didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if photography was allowed inside. Heck, I didn’t know if we’d even be allowed inside because we didn’t have library cards. But we walked between the giant lions and through the main entrance.

‍The place is massive. The building has almost 650,000 square feet of space. The stacks contain 125 miles of shelving and hold more than 2.5 million books. And even after the many modernization remodelings that have been completed since the building opened in 1911, much of the internal architecture maintains the original look and feel.

‍We wandered around for a while. I grabbed some photos of impressive corridors and rooms, fully expecting someone to jump out from behind a corner and say, “Hey, you can’t take photos in here” and escort me to the door. But it never happened.

‍As we were ending our visit and preparing to leave, I looked to my right and saw an impressive staircase. The handrails were carved from the same stone that formed the walls. At the top was a carved sculpture, also from the same stone, inset into the wall under an arch. We had walked past it when we entered the library. I assume I hadn’t noticed because I expected someone to grab us and toss us back out.

‍I liked what I saw through the camera’s viewfinder and was ready to take the photo when two women turned the corner and started down the lower flight of steps. I hesitated, then noticed how the two women improved the original shot by providing a focal point and a sense of scale.

‍This is one of several nice architectural photos I captured during our impromptu visit.

‍The New York City public library main branch, renamed the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in 2008 after the Wall Street financier’s contribution of $100 million to the institution, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1966. The building has been used in many movies and television shows, including 42nd Street (1933), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Escape from New York (1981), The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), Prizzi's Honor (1985), and Regarding Henry (1991). 

‍Ghostbusters (1984) showed the outside of the library in the scene where the first ghost was encountered by a librarian, but interior library scenes were shot in Los Angeles. Maybe the director wasn’t sure photography was allowed inside the New York building …