North Corridor & Visitor Center

Narrator: The three arches at the back of Astor Hall lead into the South-North Corridor. This long passage runs parallel to Fifth Avenue. Contrasting the gray and white marble floor and walls, the ceiling is gold and brown, designed to look like carved wood, with hexagons, octagons, and rectangles framing rosettes.

Along the passage to the north, a decorative marble drinking fountain on the right features a brass lion above an oval basin. An adjoining hallway to the left leads to several reading rooms. A tall, arched window punctuates the north end.

You'll find the Visitor Center just around the corner from Astor Hall.

With a tiled floor and classical pillars and columns, this grand space has tall arched windows that look out onto Fifth Avenue. Large-scale reproductions of historical maps adorn the walls, and chandeliers with rings of round lamps hang overhead.

Visitors can explore interactive displays, models, and other ways to learn more about the Library’s history and collections.

Interpretive commentary follows.

Alison Stewart: The Library’s new Visitor Center is where many can get a first look at everything the Library has to offer. Like so many parts of the Library, the room has a long history. When it first opened in 1911, it housed the Science and Technology collection. The room later became part of the map collection. Keith Glutting.

Keith Glutting: So it has a long history of being this tremendous reading room and a glorious site with enormous arched windows facing Fifth Avenue. The current decoration is an homage to its past.

Alison Stewart: The Visitor Center is open to all. It’s the place to come to see what’s happening today, ask a question, sign up for a tour, and learn more about the Library through digital and interactive exhibits.

Come on in to discover more about the Library’s history, mission, and what’s possible when you dive into the Library’s diverse and expansive collections. You’ll get an idea of what once took place in this room and still does every day in rooms down the hall and throughout the building—places where scholars, students, artists, and members of the public can explore the Library’s vast trove of knowledge.