State Library of South Australia

The Mortlock Wing of the State Library of South Australia features a deep, honey-colored interior dominated by wrought-iron balconies and high, arched windows. Opened in eighteen eighty-four, this space holds a collection that spans colonial history and rare archives. When the building first opened, the librarian, Robert Kay, insisted on keeping the gas lights lit until late into the evening so working people could study after their shifts. The golden light still catches the original shelves today, holding thousands of leather-bound volumes in silence.