The Thomas Jefferson Building, the Library of Congress

Termed the ‘national temple of the arts’ on its opening in 1897, the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building (Washington, D.C.) remains, with the exception of technological improvements, essentially unchanged. Designed to house America’s national library and to showcase the art and culture of the growing Republic, its grand-scale architecture was inspired by European national libraries, but its decoration was American-made. This skilfully designed book explores the world’s largest library and its role as a space for the arts.