A National Historic Landmark Threatened
The Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building, a National Historic Landmark completed in 1897, is currently threatened by ill-advised alterations. The proposed design would remove the Main Reading Room’s historic Central Circulation Desk and replace it with an “oculus,” a circular window, in the floor so visitors could view the dome from an “orientation center” in the repurposed Control Room below.
Removal of the Desk would eviscerate the central character-defining feature of the Main Reading Room and fundamentally alter the spatial relationship that was carefully and purposefully crafted for this important space.
Project Background
In 2019, the Library of Congress unveiled an initiative to “transform the visitor experience,” a proposal that would dramatically alter the historic Main Reading Room – adding a modern observation area.
The April 8, 2022, Whistleblower Complaint filed by retired LOC Librarian Thomas Mann with Kimberly Byrd, Inspector General, Library of Congress, states that the Librarian’s “oculus proposal” calls for two major changes in the Library’s historic Main Reading Room area that would radically alter its original architecture in terms of its view, its function, and its spatial relationships:
1) the complete removal of its historic Center Desk, to be replaced by a circular window in the floor (“the oculus”) so that tourists below can look up through it at the Main Reading Room’s dome; and
2) the re-purposing of the Control Room directly below it and currently linked to it (for book delivery) by both a dumbwaiter and a stairway; this area is crucial for the efficient delivery of books, via the Desk directly above, to researchers in the Main Reading Room. She intends to transform this area into a tourist-centered “Orientation Center” with museum-type display cases containing Thomas Jefferson’s books. DCPL asserts that the Central Circulation Desk is not just a piece of furniture – it was specifically designed and installed in 1897 as the sculptural and functional heart of the Reading Room. The Desk retains all seven aspects of integrity that preservation and design professionals look to when studying a proposed modification. These include location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Removal of the Desk would eviscerate the central character-defining feature and fundamentally alter the spatial relationship that was carefully crafted and designed for this important space.
The insertion of an oculus in place of the Central Circulation Desk would further desecrate the Main Reading Room’s character and function, which was designed to facilitate scholarly research. This ill-advised alteration would remove in-tact and irreplaceable historic fabric to establish a viewing hole for visitors below. It will also re-purpose the Control Room into an “Orientation Center” of museum display cases for visitors, which will negate its historic function that enables book deliveries to researchers directly above.
These alterations proposed to the historic Main Reading Room are unnecessary interventions in this much-loved National Historic Landmark that will fundamentally compromise the design intent and function that researchers and visitors have experienced and enjoyed for more than 120 years.
The responsibility for oversight falls to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) with a mission to Serve, Preserve, and Inspire. Preserving the Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress should be one of the AOC’s top priorities.
DCPL calls on Congress, AOC, and the public to vehemently oppose these ill-advised alterations that place the needs of some above the needs of all. Improving visitor experiences is a laudable goal but should not be done to the detriment of the Thomas Jefferson Building, its library staff, and its researchers. DCPL stands ready to work with the LOC to meet its visitation goals, while preserving the history and integrity of this magnificent public building.
