Visit to George Peabody Library

The George Peabody Library is commonly acknowledged as one of the world's most lovely library areas, but is also a key learning and study place.

Formerly the Peabody Institute Library of the City of Baltimore, the collection of the library goes back to 1857 when the Peabody Institute was founded.

That year, in appreciation of their "kindness and hospitality," George Peabody, a philanthropist born in Massachusetts, dedicated the Peabody Institute to the citizens of Baltimore. The library building opened in 1878 and was designed by Baltimore architect Edmund G. Lind in collaboration with the first provost of the Peabody Institute, Dr. Nathaniel H. Morison.

There are five levels of decorative cast-iron balconies in the stack space, which extend dramatically up to 61 feet above the ground.

The collection includes 300,000 books, primarily from the 19th century, with strengths in faith, British art, architecture, topography, and history; American history, biography, and literature; Romantic arts and literature; scientific history; and geography, discovery, and travel.