Folger Shakespeare Library

Folger Shakespeare Library Review

The Folger Library's collection of works by and about Shakespeare and his times is second to none. Unfortunately, the library itself is open only by appointment to academic researchers. But the white-marble art deco building, decorated with sculpted scenes from the Bard's plays, is well worth a look. Inside is a reproduction of a 16th-century inn-yard theater—the site for performances of chamber music, baroque opera, and Shakespearean plays—and a gallery, designed in the manner of an Elizabethan Great Hall, which holds rotating exhibits from the library's collection. A manicured Elizabethan garden on the grounds is open to the public. The building was designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret and dedicated in 1932. Henry Clay Folger, the library's founder, was Standard Oil's president and chairman of the board.