New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-12-12
oPENING or 1HE LENOX LLBRARY.

Without any heralding of trumpet or shawn,
portion Of the literary treasures OF the LenoX Library,
for nearly half a century hid the pcuetraa of the
founders mansion, unOstentatOlsly opened Few
days the public and hereafter be seen with
out without price, but not without card Of
admission, obiainabe application by pOstal-card to
the Librarian For the present the gallery Of paintings
and statuary, and tho collection Of rare books and
manuscripts IN the North Hall open visitors
Mondays and Fridays, from IL a. m. 10 p. m.
The Lenox Library founded in his native city by
James Lenox the only son OF a wealthy Scotch mer-
chant BY an passed in the New York Legislature
January 10. 1870 the government Of the library
vested in nine trustees. among whom were the founder
Hamilton Fish, Alexander Van Rensselaer, and the late
William H. Aspinwal The library, facing TIE Central
Park aud occupying the whole Ffthave. front OF the
block between seventeth-st. and Seventy frst-sts is
buit on the finest size be found in the southern
mr. central portion Of the island. 1t has been wisely
located in a section soon destined TO be the best
residence quarter OF the city The noble edce stands on
solid rock: the outer walls are hollow, and
structed of Lockport limestone backed with brick the
stairs are Of stone book shelves Of ron and the en-
tire trrre thoroughly dreproof The style OF arch
lecture is an adaptation Of the Greek aud OF SINH
lar character TO the Paris ScnO0l OF Fine Arts The 'front.'
~ each wing i, surmouuted by pedimen the one to
the north bearing head Of Apollo, tne other Dust Of
Minerva On the north and south aspects OF the Duid
ing the style OF the front s repeated pedment on each
- eariD AT the same altitude those IN front. The
main buudiug is approached by ght OF stone steps
and ia supported by two C0rnthian columns OF nerican
Granite The main building to an altitude Of ninety
i've feet above the ground and s upper floor Il both
rnnorted AMI ornamented by three columns OF Aberdeen
ito The roof IS OF the peaked order but with iron
raer ana slated Tho library consists Of tlree hoors In
the main building and two stories in the wings above the
.rnent II, dmensl0ns ia feet deeply 200 front
cort,iuno four spacious readngrOOms, or Libraries,
,-lorv for paintings and another for sculpture Tic
vee ~ the ground aud the cost OK the elhce IS more
than 81 100000.
For more than half century James 'nox, well known
- oc f the yyealthiest aud most benevolent citizens OF
, York and ~ a cultivated scholar, has been quietly
Gathering together what he himself has desgnated as
colccaon Of manuscripts, printed books, engrayings
aud mans satuary paintings drawings and other works
- arr ., which withthe building now containing them'
has e presented rs free gft O. the public The sVtr
also declared that necessary sums OF money shall
m withheld 10 complete the collection upon scale com
ensrote with the intellectual wants OF New-York The
vae of the ft TO the scholars ana students OF this
country cannot be oyerrated Neither Time labor nor
money has been spared collecting treasures OF ART ana
literature the like OF which cannot be found IN the and
In the Departments OF early American history Biblical
photography ana EzaOethan literature this library sup
nes a hiatus which exists the Aston ana all other
American public collections The John Carter Brown IL
brary perhaps equals the LcnOx collection IN the Held OF
Americana the Barton collection Of shakespeArlan
Literature now owned by the Boston Public Library may