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= Providence Athenæum = The Providence Athenæum is an independent, member-supported library that is open to the public. It was founded as “The Athenæum” in 1836, and became "The Providence Athenæum" by amendment to its charter in 1850. Its progenitors were two earlier libraries: the Providence Library Company, founded in 1753, and the Providence Athenæum, founded in 1831.

Founding
In 1753, a group of private citizens started The Providence Library Company to gain access to a collection of books that they could not afford individually. Many of the early books were carefully selected and purchased from England with funds collected by the founding members. Members purchased a share in the library, which allowed them, their family, and friends to check out books. Stephen Hopkins, signatory of the Declaration of Independence, was a founder of this early organization. Also among the founders were the Brown brothers of Providence: Nicholas (who served as the first librarian), Joseph, John, and Moses.

In 1758, a fire destroyed the majority of the first collection of books, which were then housed at the Old Town House on Meeting Street. 71 of the 345 titles held by the Providence Library Company were checked out at the time of the fire and survived. 45 of these surviving volumes now make up the Providence Athenæum’s Founders' Collection.

In 1831, another library was founded in Providence, called the Providence Athenæum. Cyrus Butler, part owner of the Arcade, and John Russell Bartlett were influential in the founding of this library. This library was housed in the Providence Arcade in Downtown Providence.

Talks began regarding the merger of the Providence Library Company and the Providence Athenæum in 1832, but terms for this proposed merger could not be agreed upon. In 1836, both the Providence Library Company and the Providence Athenæum (1831) dissolved their corporations, and applied for a charter to found a brand new library. Thus, the Providence Athenæum of 1836 was established.

Building
Moses Brown Ives offered the plot of land on which the library now stands, along with $10,000 for construction and books, with the stipulation that an equal amount be raised through library subscriptions. The money was matched in 1837, and ground was broken in April of that year.

Plans for the library were designed by the Philadelphia-based architect William Strickland. Designed in the Greek-Revival style, the Providence Athenæum is Strickland’s only building in New England. The dedicatory address was given by Francis Wayland on July 11, 1838, and doors opened on July 16, 1838.

Poe and Whitman
In September of 1848, Edgar Allan Poe traveled to Providence to visit the poet Sarah Helen Whitman. Portions of their courtship were carried out in the Athenæum, of which Whitman was a frequent visitor, and the two were engaged to be married by November. During a visit to the Athenæum, Whitman asked Poe if he knew who wrote the poem “Ulalume”, which had been anonymously published in the American Whig Review. Poe told her he was the author, opened to the poem, and signed his name at the bottom of the page. Many years later, Whitman would return to the library to find the signature still there.

Their engagement was short lived, as Whitman called off their Christmas Day wedding on December 23rd.

Fountain
In 1873, member Anna Richmond donated funds to construct a granite fountain along the Athenæum’s Benefit Street sidewalk. The granite, Gothic-style fountain was designed by the Boston architectural firm Ware and Van Brunt, and reads “Come Hither Every One That Thirsteth”. A nineteenth century legend claims that visitors who drink the water are bound to return to Providence. The fountain was restored to working order in May of 2018.

Building Additions
A three-story addition to the building was completed in 1914, designed by architect Norman Isham. The addition housed a periodicals room and the Children’s library. Today, it houses the Reference area and book stacks. In 1978, a second addition was added to the building by architect Warren Platner to house the Sayles Gorham Children's Library and the Philbrick Rare Book Room. The addition won the 1980 National American Institute of Architects/American Library Association Award.

Lovecraft
Though not a member of the Athenæum, author H.P. Lovecraft lived very close by and visited the library. He wrote about it in his stories and letters, calling the library “…our old Athenæum, where Poe spent many an hour…” (Letter to James F. Morton, 3 May 1923). A bronze bust of Lovecraft was donated to the library in 2013.

Collections
The Athenæum’s wide-ranging collections, both rare and contemporary, represent the reading and acquisition tastes of Providence over the last three centuries. Today, the library serves as a modern lending library, with collections for both adults and children. In addition to the circulating collections, the library also holds special collections of rare books and art.

Rare Books
The combined collections of the Providence Library Company (1753) and the earlier Providence Athenæum (1831) make up the original core of the Athenæum’s Special Collections. Today, the library’s once current titles have become part of the Rare Book Collection. As such, the collection is a true reflection of the reading taste of library users over the past two-and-a-half centuries. Collection strengths can be found in the subjects of literature, history, biography, travel, fine arts, and natural sciences.

Archives
The Archives Collection includes institutional records about the founding of the library, its members and collections, library rules and regulations, among other items. There are also collections of photographs and ephemera relating to the library. The collection provides insight into the cultural, intellectual, and civic leaders of Providence since the mid-eighteenth century.

Art
The Providence Athenæum possesses a wide-ranging art collection, which reflects developments in art and art collecting from the founding of the institution to the present day.

Some items in this collection include:


 * A large 18th-century copy of Gilbert Stuart's famous Lansdowne portrait of George Washington, painted by an unknown artist
 * A small painting titled "The Hours" by Edward Malbone
 * A bronze bust of H.P. Lovecraft

Athenæum Today
Today, the Providence Athenæum continues to operate as an independent, member-supported library. It hosts many cultural events for both adults and children, one of the most famous being its salon speaker series which was launched in 2006.