Officially known as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library, it is sometime referred to as the "Main Branch," or "The People's Palace."
Build in 1911 on the site of an above-ground reservoir, The Main Branch is the flagship building of the New York Public Library system, which serves the boroughs of Manhattan The Bronx and Staten Island with 87 branches and four research centers.
The boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens are served by the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Borough Public Library respectively.
The Main Branch is very famous its two lion, which stand guard at the main entrance to the building on Fifth Avenue and 41st Street. Originally named, "Leo Astor" and "Leo Lenox", in honor of the library's founders, they're known today as "Patience" and "Fortitude."
Its main reading room, known as the Rose Main Reading Room, is famous for its thousands of reference works that line the wall on open shelves along the floor level and along the balcony. The Main Reading Room provides peace and quite in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.
The Main Branch has been featured in many TV shows, including the CW teen drama series Gossip Girl and on an episode of Seinfeld. In addition to TV shows, the building has been featured in movies, including 42nd Street, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Escape from New York and most recently the 2004 apocalyptic science fiction film The Day After Tomorrow.
The Main Branch was declared a National Historic Landmark on December 21, 1965 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
In 2008, the building under went a three-year, $50 million renovation project to clean and restore "The People's Palace," and bring it back to the way it look when it first open a century a ago.
