Photos: a Look Inside JP Morgan’s Private Library

HBO’s “The Gilded Age” may be over for the year but, thankfully, the era is inescapable if you’re in the New York area.

A new character added to season three was none other than J. Pierpont Morgan — you may know him as J.P. Morgan. Yes, like the bank.

If his introduction to the show made you curious about the Morgan family, how he made his fortune, and, crucially, how he spent his millions, you need look no further than the Morgan Library and Museum, located in Manhattan.

After Morgan’s death in 1913, his son, Jack, decided to turn his father’s private library into a public library for people to view his father’s extensive collection. It opened in 1924.

The museum, which costs $25 to enter, is actually comprised of three buildings once owned by various members of the Morgan family. The buildings are connected by a large lobby that was constructed in 2006.

The oldest building is the Pierpont Morgan Library, which was completed in 1906. It was built to hold Morgan’s rapidly growing collection of art, antiquities, books, and manuscripts that he spent millions of dollars amassing. Today, it looks exactly as it did when Morgan spent his time there.

The second building is the Annex, which stands on the land that used to be Morgan’s brownstone. It opened in 1928. The third building, now known as the Morgan House, was originally the brownstone owned by Morgan’s son, Jack. It was purchased by the museum in 1989.

Entering the library felt like stepping back to a time when families like the Morgans, Astors, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers ruled NYC.

Here’s what it’s like to visit the Morgan Library and Museum.

I visited the Morgan Library and Museum, located in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan.

The sign that welcomed me to the Morgan Library and Museum.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The museum is open every day (except Mondays) for visitors to take a trip back to the early 20th century.

morgan library exterior — The exterior of the museum.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There are also temporary exhibits inside. From June to September, there’s an exhibit dedicated to Jane Austen that’s included with admission.

jane austen exhibit — A sign advertising the Jane Austen exhibit.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

J. Pierpont Morgan, a famed Gilded Age figure, commissioned the library in 1902. It was completed in 1906.

American financier John Pierpont Morgan (1837 - 1913), circa 1880. — J. Pierpont Morgan in 1880.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

You enter the museum through this modern addition that features floor-to-ceiling windows and the museum café. It was built in 2006.

view from jp morgan's lib — This room connects the three separate structures that comprise the Morgan Library and Museum.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There’s a scale model of the library in this entryway.

There’s also the original brass bell from Morgan’s third yacht, the Corsair. It’s still rung daily to signify closing time.

bell from jp morgan's yacht — The bell from the Corsair, Morgan’s yacht.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The section of the museum that houses Morgan’s library is clearly marked.

jp morgan library — The entrance to Morgan’s library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Even just walking across the threshold felt like entering a time machine. The modern wood and glass was replaced with marble and dark wood.

entrance to jp morgan's library — The entryway.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This rotunda connects to the three rooms open to the public in Morgan’s library.

atrium morgan library — The rotunda.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

When visiting the entire museum, you shouldn’t forget to look up. The ceilings in every room are works of art.

jp morgan ceiling — The rotunda’s ceiling.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The first room I entered was Morgan’s private study.

jp morgan study — Morgan’s study.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This ceiling was imported from Italy by architect Charles McKim. It’s believed to have been constructed in the 1500s.

ceiling in jp morgan office — The ceiling in Morgan’s study.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This is Morgan’s desk. Many deals were made in the presence of this desk — Morgan was known as “America’s greatest banker.”

jp morgan desk — Morgan’s desk.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

A portrait of Morgan hangs above the fireplace.

painting of jp morgan in his study — A portrait of J. Pierpont Morgan.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Notice the unique walls — it’s not wallpaper, it’s silk damask. The pattern is based on a design made for the Renaissance banker Agostino Chigi.

jp morgan office — The walls in Morgan’s office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Morgan collected fragments of Renaissance-era stained glass for years until he had enough to construct windows in his study. Installation took two years.

stained glass jp morgan office — Stained glass windows in Morgan’s office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

In the corner of the room is the door to Morgan’s private vault.

jp morgan vault — The vault in Morgan’s office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The walls of the vault are lined with steel. It’s still the home to some of the rarest books in Morgan’s collection.

After going back through the rotunda, I entered the main event: Morgan’s library.

morgan librrary east room — Morgan’s library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This room is a book-lover’s dream.

east room morgan library — A wide view of Morgan’s library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I was overwhelmed by the sheer size, the artistry present in every detail, and the amount of history located in this room.

multi level morgan library — This was just a fraction of the books inside.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There are three floors of shelves.

In every corner, there was a piece of art to study.

corner of east room — A statue in one corner of the library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I spent much of my time looking at all the books and manuscripts on the shelves.

books morgan library — A close-up of some of the books.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Located in this beautiful binding are the Lindau Gospels, a manuscript from the ninth century.

bible in morgan library — The Lindau Gospels.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This is the Stavelot Triptych. It’s thought to contain a piece of the “True Cross,” the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

morgan library antiques — The Stavelot Triptych.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There are dozens more pieces like that in this library. I could spend hours here.

morgan library east room — The library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I also visited the librarian’s office.

entrance to the office — The exterior of the librarian’s office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

While it’s not as large as the library, it’s nothing to scoff at.

morgan library office room — The librarian’s office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The ceiling is covered in murals in the style of an Italian Renaissance painting.

office ceiling — The ceiling inside the librarian’s office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The first librarian at the Pierpont Morgan Library was Belle da Costa Greene.

morgan library office — A view of some of the books and artifacts inside the office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Greene, born in 1879, was the daughter of Richard T. Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard.

After her parents separated, Greene, her brother, and her mother began passing as white to avoid racism and segregation.

exhibits in the office room of the morgan library — Artifacts inside the office.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

While working at Princeton, Greene met J.P. Morgan’s nephew, Junius Spencer Morgan, who introduced her to his uncle.

belle da costa greene librarian — A terra-cotta rendering of Belle da Costa Greene.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Greene worked at the Pierpont Morgan Library from 1905 until 1948. This fictionalized version of her life is for sale at the gift shop.

book about belle da costa green — The book is historical fiction and was published in 2021.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

My next stops were the temporary galleries. They’re located in what was once J.P. Morgan’s brownstone, which was annexed in 1928.

jane austen exhibit morgan library — The East Gallery.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

“A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250” was packed with visitors.

jane austen morgan library — This sign welcomed visitors into the exhibit.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The exhibit, which runs through September 14, is a love letter to the “Pride and Prejudice” author’s legacy.

In the museum, a sign pointed to this grille, which has “648 wrought-iron birds, each with a unique beak.” This was added in the ’20s.

ceiling in the morgan library — The ceiling.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I walked upstairs to look at the rest of the museum.

staircase morgan library — This staircase led to the second floor.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There’s an impressive art gallery on the second floor.

3rd floor gallery — The gallery on the second floor.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I spotted memorabilia once owned by Edgar Allan Poe, Leonardo da Vinci, and Frédéric Chopin.

edgar allen poe morgan library — Works by Edgar Allan Poe.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

My favorite thing about the second floor, though, was the view.

view from second floor — The view of the café from the second floor.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

My last stop was, of course, the gift shop. It’s located in the Morgan House, which was once the brownstone of Morgan’s son, Jack.

gift shop morgan library — The gift shop.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Of course, there were books for sale. I ended up buying “Sense and Sensibility,” an Austen classic.

gift store selfie morgan library — There were many books for sale.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

My final activity was taking in the museum’s garden, which is open seasonally.

gate to the morgan library — The gate that originally led to the interior of the library.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

A plaque said the museum had been declared a National Landmark in 1966.

jp morgan sign — The National Landmark sign.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I was able to get a better view of the original exterior of the Pierpont Morgan Library from here.

exterior of morgan library garden — The original entrance.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This ceiling was also not to be missed.

morgan library outside ceiling — The ceiling.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There were also Renaissance statues inside the portico.

statue in morgan library garden — There were two statues.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The garden itself wasn’t that impressive.

morgan library garden — The garden.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

But I was amused that, just a few feet away, modern life continued, even though I felt like I had just gone back 100 years.

apartment building next to morgan library — There were apartment buildings all around.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Now that “The Gilded Age” is on hiatus, taking a trip to the Morgan Library is a great substitute for immersing yourself in New York gone by.

Source link