The New York Public Library Treasures 

New York Public Library

It was Pure+Applied’s honor and pleasure to design The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s TREASURES, set to be on view for the next 75 years. Our vision for the exhibition was to create a secular cathedral of learning — a space for pilgrimage, community-building, interpretation, and the exchange of ideas.

P+A’s work was powered by our longstanding commitment to welcoming diverse audiences into the Schwarzman Building’s awe-inspiring spaces. It was deeply informed by our studio’s decade-long history of designing NYPL exhibitions and experiences, and by our spirited and enriching collaboration with NYPL, Mecanoo, Beyer Blinder Belle, and Goppion. 

Curator: Declan Kiely

For The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s TREASURES, P+A took on the challenge of creating an aesthetic to stand the test of time — an aesthetic that not only lives up to the promise of the Schwarzman Building’s architecture, but also embodies the NYPL’s ideals of public access and service. We knew it had to complement the soaring and ennobling Gottesman Hall while remaining relevant, compelling, and welcoming for the 75-year exhibition lifespan. 

There are striking juxtapositions and surprising sightlines, and objects that tell different stories depending on the angle you look from. . . . The library, many would say, is itself one of the city’s treasures. —The New York Times

As in all of P+A’s projects, visitor experience was of paramount importance. Our design supports the goals of welcoming large, diverse audiences and providing impactful learning experiences for individuals. We established a layout that not only guides visitors on a journey, but also supports unexpected vistas and avenues of exploration— provoking and accommodating curiosity and contemplation. We worked in concert with the elements of the majestic Gottesman Hall to invite visitors to experience the grandness of the room and discover the jaw-dropping treasures on display. 

Designing a treasures exhibition of this caliber required careful attention to the past, present, and future — to the historic significance of NYPL and its collections, the library’s mission to inspire and educate, and NYPL’s reach toward the audiences of tomorrow. To achieve our goals, P+A combined an in-depth understanding of the institution with creative ideas about how to address practical, but critical, considerations. Our design showcases exhibition content while remaining sensitive to visitors and conducive to future permutations of displays over time. From conceptual development, to graphic identity and branding, to drawings, elevations, installation, and future planning, our studio treated every step of the design process with the care it deserved — ultimately creating an exhibition experience that will be treasured by millions. 

For more than 125 years, The New York Public Library has collected, preserved, and made accessible the world’s knowledge. Now, for the first time, The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s TREASURE showcases some of the most extraordinary items from the 56 million in our collections, inspiring and empowering visitors to discover, learn, and create new knowledge—today and in the years ahead. The treasures in this exhibition tell the stories of people, places, and moments spanning 4,000 years—from the emergence of the written word through to the present day. —NYPL

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