Has a sierra white granite facade that is more contemporary on two sides of the building. 375,000 square feet. Inside, a dramatic skylight allows natural light into the building’s five-story central atrium; bridges connect floors across lightwells, and a grand staircase rises four stories beside a wall installation lit with the names of more than a hundred authors, a three-story interior wall filled with 50,000 annotated cards from the old card catalog, a mural, a spiral staircase in the glass enclosed reading room and a companion piece suspended from the high ceiling. A unique configuration of open spaces and smaller intimate corner rooms contributes both a sense of grandeur and welcome. The interior design of each center includes inlaid hardwood floors, wool area rugs and upholstered chairs. Custom wall systems and cabinetry of sycamore, curly maple, lacewood and cherry evoke the warm imagery of traditional library interiors, counterbalanced in each room by a stainless steel disc above—which integrates both lighting and air diffusion components.