Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily founded the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Paul Philippe Cret designed the main building. The cornerstone was laid in May 1930, and the library opened on April 23, 1932, two years after Henry's death. The neoclassical exterior is white marble with nine relief sculptures of scenes from Shakespeare's plays by John Gregory, and the window and door grilles are Art Deco aluminum.
The Tudor-style interior has oak paneling and plaster ceilings. The Elizabethan Theatre seats about 260 and has no pit. The library holds the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, including 82 First Folios.
Hartman-Cox Architects led a renovation from 1977 to 1983. Major renovations ran from 2018 to 2024, and the library reopened on June 21, 2024.
Comments