Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Newport, United States. Founded 1747.
- Type: Subscription
- City: Newport
- Country: United States
- Founded: 1747
Overview
Founded in 1747 with a gift from merchant Abraham Redwood to buy books, this is the oldest community library in the United States still occupying its original building. Peter Harrison designed the Palladian temple front, completed in 1750, using wooden boards cut and painted to imitate stone. Many books disappeared while British forces occupied Newport during the Revolution, and members have since tracked down and recovered a large share of them. It remains a membership library that welcomes visitors.
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