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Reading lamps and tables in Bates Hall, Boston Public Library
Reading lamps and tables in Bates Hall, Boston Public Library. Ncysea, Public domain
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Reading lamps and tables in Bates Hall, Boston Public Library. Photo: Ncysea, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Public_Library_McKim_Building_Reading_Room.jpg
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Bates Hall, Boston Public Library

Boston, USA, 1895

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Worth knowing

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: Edwin Austin Abbey's Holy Grail cycle in the McKim Building's Abbey Room has 15 panels showing 150 life-sized figures.

    secondarybu.edu
    Cite
    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: Edwin Austin Abbey's Holy Grail cycle in the McKim Building's Abbey Room has 15 panels showing 150 life-sized figures.
Source: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2017/boston-public-library-art-architecture-tours/
Evidence tier: secondary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-1ghcofq
    Dispute#

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: Frederick MacMonnies's Bacchante, placed by Charles McKim in the library's courtyard fountain, was attacked by a small powerful group as vice-ridden and treason to virtue. Most Bostonians supported it, according to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

    secondaryclevelandart.org
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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: Frederick MacMonnies's Bacchante, placed by Charles McKim in the library's courtyard fountain, was attacked by a small powerful group as vice-ridden and treason to virtue. Most Bostonians supported it, according to the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Source: https://www.clevelandart.org/print/art/1919.589
Evidence tier: secondary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-1200wdu
    Dispute#

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: John Singer Sargent's religion murals were installed in stages between 1895 and 1919.

    secondarybu.edu
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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: John Singer Sargent's religion murals were installed in stages between 1895 and 1919.
Source: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2017/boston-public-library-art-architecture-tours/
Evidence tier: secondary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-0jwki12
    Dispute#

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: The Central Library houses the personal library of President John Adams, according to Boston University.

    secondarybu.edu
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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, worth knowing: The Central Library houses the personal library of President John Adams, according to Boston University.
Source: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2017/boston-public-library-art-architecture-tours/
Evidence tier: secondary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-11ov7s3
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Built

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, built: 1895 (McKim Building completed)

    wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, built: 1895 (McKim Building completed)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Public_Library
Evidence tier: wikipedia
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-0ij0ljh
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Architect

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, architect: Charles Follen McKim (McKim, Mead & White)

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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, architect: Charles Follen McKim (McKim, Mead & White)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Public_Library
Evidence tier: wikipedia
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-1jqw8w9
    Dispute#

Size

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, size: 218 x 42 (42.5) x 50 ft = 66.4 x 12.8 x 15.2 m, to top of barrel vault

    primaryweb.archive.org
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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, size: 218 x 42 (42.5) x 50 ft = 66.4 x 12.8 x 15.2 m, to top of barrel vault
Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20231221161430/https://guides.bpl.org/mckim/bateshall
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-11bsyj5
    Dispute#

Collection

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, collection: Opened to the public 20 March 1854 with 16,000 volumes; opened the first US branch library (East Boston, 1870)

    wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
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    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, collection: Opened to the public 20 March 1854 with 16,000 volumes; opened the first US branch library (East Boston, 1870)
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Public_Library
Evidence tier: wikipedia
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-0yla68h
    Dispute#

  • Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, collection: The McKim Building's Bates Hall houses the research collection; the BPL holds about 21 million items

    wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    Cite
    Bates Hall, Boston Public Library, collection: The McKim Building's Bates Hall houses the research collection; the BPL holds about 21 million items
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Public_Library
Evidence tier: wikipedia
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/bpl/#f-0e5pejy
    Dispute#

Photographs

The vault of Bates Hall from a reading table
The vault of Bates Hall from a reading table. Pacamah, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The vault of Bates Hall from a reading table. Photo: Pacamah, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BPL_Bates_Hall_from_Table.jpg
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The Abbey Room of the Boston Public Library McKim Building
The Abbey Room of the Boston Public Library McKim Building. Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The Abbey Room of the Boston Public Library McKim Building. Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Public_Library,_McKim_Building_(Abbey_Room).jpg
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The marble staircase and a lion statue, Boston Public Library
The marble staircase and a lion statue, Boston Public Library. NateBergin, CC BY 4.0
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The marble staircase and a lion statue, Boston Public Library. Photo: NateBergin, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Public_Library_Staircase.png
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The McKim Building of Boston Public Library, Copley Square
The McKim Building of Boston Public Library, Copley Square. Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5
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The McKim Building of Boston Public Library, Copley Square. Photo: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USA_Boston_Public_Library_2_MA.jpg
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The McKim Building facade on Copley Square, Boston Public Library
The McKim Building facade on Copley Square, Boston Public Library. Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The McKim Building facade on Copley Square, Boston Public Library. Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Public_Library,_McKim_Building_(11-2019).jpg
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The arcaded courtyard of the McKim Building, Boston Public Library
The arcaded courtyard of the McKim Building, Boston Public Library. Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
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The arcaded courtyard of the McKim Building, Boston Public Library. Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Public_Library_Courtyard_(26087613060).jpg
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