08.24.25: Library corridor

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

‍Passageways or corridors, 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 corridor 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 stairways 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.

‍Then I found a long, arched corridor — my photography sweet spot. Natural light was streaming through large windows along the right side of the corridor. Light through a large window at the end of the corridor created a long reflection that extended the entire length of the hall.

‍The scene was perfect, except for about 30 people who were between me and the distant window. I grabbed some shots. Then much of the crowd disappeared and I got the photo I wanted.

‍The one person in the distance provides a focal point beneath the repeating light globes and arches, showing the scale of the corridor. The soft natural light brings out the details in the walls and arches. And then there’s that long reflection, broken only by the distant person and his shadow.

‍The New York City public library main branch, renamed the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in 2008 after the Wall Street financier contribution $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 …

Viewing an arched hallway inside the New York Public Library, New York City.