Boston Central Library

The Boston Public Library anchors Copley Square with a facade of Milford granite that mimics the arches of a Roman palace. This is the first large free municipal library in the United States, built because the city decided that books belonged to everyone, not merely scholars. In eighteen ninety-five, when the building opened, architects Charles Follen McKim and Stanford White obsessed over every detail. They famously fought with the city over the budget, ultimately spending their own money to finish the grand staircase.