The Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library and Museum began as the private retreat of the financier J. Pierpont Morgan, who sought a sanctuary for his vast collection of rare books, ancient seals, and medieval manuscripts. Between nineteen hundred two and nineteen hundred six, he commissioned the architect Charles Follen McKim to design this Italian Renaissance style palazzo on the land right next to his family home. Morgan wanted a gem of a building, and the result was a structure made of Tennessee pink marble, with the blocks set with such extreme precision that the builders used virtually no mortar between them.