A Day In Washington: Library of Congress

This is the second of three posts covering our day trip to Washington DC.  The Library of Congress is four blocks south from Union Station, an easy walk.  It is adjacent to the US Supreme Court and across the street from the US Capitol Building.


The Library of Congress was created in 1800 by an act of the United States Congress.  Shortly thereafter, 740 books were purchased with $5,000 from publishers in London and housed in the Capitol Building.  When British soldiers set fire to the Capitol in 1814 during the War of 1812 , the Library and its 3,000 books were destroyed.  A month later, Thomas Jefferson offered his collection of 6,487 books to the US Government for $23,950 to pay his debts.  His collection became the basis of the new Library of Congress.  However, a second fire in 1851 destroyed 35,000 books including two thirds of Jefferson's collection.  The library was left with 20,000 books including the remaining 2,000 of Jefferson's books.

In 1998, the Library began acquiring replacements for Jefferson's books.  10 years later, the Library of Congress had replaced all but 300 of Jefferson's books!  While touring the building, we saw his collection.  Very cool!

When the new Library of Congress Building was opened on November 1st, 1897, the library's collection consisted of 840,000 volumes.  The building was designed by architects John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz.  It was renamed the Thomas Jefferson Building in 1980 to honor Jefferson's contributions to the library.

Click on my photos below to see them in high resolution on Flickr.  You can view the entire set in high resolution by clicking here!

Thomas Jefferson Building from First Street SE

The Gutenberg Bible is the first major book printed in the West using movable type.  It is known for its aesthetic and artistic qualities.  One of only 48 copies in existence today, the bible is considered one of the most valuable books in the world.  Below is the Library of Congress' copy of the book on display.  You can view pages of the book here.

Gutenberg Bible

The building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style.  It is elaborately decorated with intricate designs on the ceilings and walls of every room.  A joy to walk through!

Ornate Ceiling

The Great Hall

Hallway

Main Reading Room

You can view the entire set in high resolution by clicking here!