Attention, Bibliophiles: This Library Was Designed to Look Like a Bookshelf
Every bibliophile has a bucket list of libraries and independent bookstores they’d like to visit in their lifetime. The stone lions at the New York City Public Library and Shakespeare and Company in Paris are just two destinations beloved by many. But no bookworm bucket list is complete without a visit to the Kansas City Public Library in Kansas City, Missouri. Take just one look at the exterior of the building and you’ll immediately understand why: It was designed to look like a bookshelf.
The exterior of the library and its parking garage features 22 literary classics that are each 25 feet high and nine feet wide. Library patrons and members of the community voted on which titles should be featured and the winning books represent a wide range of titles, including “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Invisible Man,” and “Charlotte’s Web.”
The book love doesn’t stop there. Once inside, there are walls and staircases decorated to look like book pages and book spines, too.
The Kansas City Public Library’s beautiful façade was constructed in 2006, but it’s making the rounds on the internet right now thanks to the return of “Queer Eye.” While they were filming Seasons 3 and 4 in Kansas City, the Fab Five stopped by the library to reflect on their time in the city and celebrate the launch of their book, “Queer Eye: Love Yourself. Love Your Life.”
During the talk, they each shared the last book they truly devoured. Jonathan said “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Feminasty” by Erin Gibson; Karamo said “Crucial Conversations” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler; Tan said “Bossypants” by Tina Fey and “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo” by Amy Schumer; Bobby said the Bobiverse trilogy by Dennis E. Taylor; and Antoni said “City Boy” by Edmund White.
Be sure to add the Kansas City Public Library to your list of dream book-themed destinations. We could spend the entire day just gazing at its gorgeous artwork.