225 Madison Ave

We see his name regularly. John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) was a strategic American financial manager which earned him an irrefutable reputation and he made his fortune at the right time.

Very beautiful Wall Street buildings were built to accommodate the offices of his firm, J. P. Morgan. The businessman’s prosperity allowed him to develop his passions. One of them was books.

Over time, Mr. Morgan, with the help of an assistant, acquired an incredible collection of works. Before he died, he asked his heirs to make his library accessible to the public. This is how his son, of the same name, took over not only the financial empire that his father had built but also the creation of a public institution of his library. With the help of Mrs. Greene and donations, the diversity of the works was enriched.

Today, the Pierpont Morgan Library brings together 3 buildings: the houses of the father and the son and a central glass part serving as the main entrance for transitioning between the rooms, an atrium for meeting and listening to artists and a place to have a snack there in addition to the rooms where temporary events are presented. In March 2024, the Beatrice Potter exhibition was a personal, beautiful and surprising discovery.

I would like to come back to Mr. Morgan Sr.’s assistant because her story is one of determination, dedication and confidence. Madame Belle da Costa Greene (1879-1950) was a renowned American librarian dedicated to the research, acquisition and resale of manuscripts, books, notebooks, and works of art for Mr. Morgan’s collection. She had carte blanche in her work which she carefully accomplished for more than 40 years (1905-1948). After the death of Mr. Morgan Sr., and despite an interesting inheritance that he left her, she continued to work for the family and became the first director, in 1924, of the public institution. During her career, Mrs. Green was one who achieved her goals by hiding her African-American origins through her lighter complexion skin and a change of name. She would be known as Belle Marion Greener.

J.P. Morgan, therefore, left a legacy of a financial empire and a future museum filled with a rich series of books. His house in the Murray Hill neighborhood features the living room with its “West Room Vault”, a desk, a burgundy velvet loveseat, a wood ceiling and pieces of art around the room in addition to the private library which is open to the public, not to borrow but to admire the impressive three-level room filled with manuscripts and literary works in a cozy setting. It is by far the most striking of the rooms. To access it, a central square, the rotunda, also includes beautiful architectural details, works of art and benches for taking a break.

Some sites indicate that partitions of Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and others which have been acquired, but I did not see these items during my visit in March 2024. The quantity of books on non-accessible levels makes it almost impossible to search for them. On the other hand, I noticed that there were several books in French.

Although you are in a relatively quiet part of the city, you can combine your visit with a visit to the New York Public Library or Grand Central Station or the Summit One Vanderbilt.

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