Redwood Library and Athenaeum

📚Must-See for History Buffs, Artists, and Bibliophiles📚 It's more than just a library! The Redwood Library contains historical artifacts (rotating displays), artwork (some originals!), sculpture, and, of course, thousands of books (many of which are several hundred years old). It's free to enter and browse (there are bathrooms as well!). The library staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about their work. Please support this invaluable establishment with your patronage and visit!

If you enjoy a good book, this is a must-see! The oldest continually lending library in the US, the Redwood is full of history, including most of the original books. It also includes a small but impressive art collection. The librarians are super kind and extremely helpful.

Love that this private library is free to visit for the public (not all rooms, but the most historic ones are accessible, and the temporary gallery exhibit is too). Lots of history in this building, and there's a room of strange books that you can buy for $1 each. Very kind lady at the front desk was happy to tell us all about the library and its history.

What a beautiful place to visit. Beautiful setting, full of history. The first library in America, is an art gallery and an architectural marvel.

A must-see for book and history lovers when visiting Newport. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable and friendly, willing to answer any questions you may have about this historic site!

Gorgeous ❤️

The Redwood Library and Athenaeum is a national treasure that is here to be appreciated by all. It is open to the public. There is parking across the street and access is fully handicap accessible. Not only it is a lovely serene space, wonderful librarians who are there to help but offers it also wonderful events that should not be missed.

American History at it's best. Not to be missed. Wonderful collection of historical portraits!

I can't believe I've been a member here for years & have yet to write a review! Yes, you heard right.. a member! This is a library that requires an annual membership to take out books from their vast collection, but the building is open to the public for browsing. In addition to many, many works of literature, the Redwood also houses an impressive collection of Newport maps and ephemera that a visiting history buff would love to see. They also offer community programming, such as classical and jazz concerts, a Shakespearean reading group, and even a Trivia Night for adults, complete with pizza and beer as part of a modest admission fee. Don't let the "members only" policy deter you from visiting! Tourists will definitely want to add this to their list, and I've known many a Newport local who's never stepped inside the Redwood, but really should. It's a truly gorgeous spot to have a peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of the City by the Sea, and a wonderfully historic hidden gem.

This old colonial library is a beautiful piece of history here! There are so many colonial paintings hanging in the walls there, plus four from Gilbert Stewart who painted George Washington! Very interesting and very peaceful in there. It's a true work of art that goes back to the the 1740's! If you get a chance, VISIT! It is so worth it!

The oldest of the old New England has lots of old libraries and even some really old libraries, but none older than The Redwood Library in Newport. In fact this is the oldest library in continuous service in the entire country. Everything about this building is speaking from a time long past. The original building was designed by the self-taught architect Peter Harrison and completed in 1750. It was modeled after Italian Renaissance buildings and of course it has expanded a lot over the centuries but the original room, now called the Harrison Room in the architects honor, is still standing. In fact it has been restored to look like it did when it was first built. When the library opened it had only about 751 books and now contains about 160,000. A very cool fact about the library is that it still contains many of the original 751 books, most displayed in the Harrison Room. Walking through this library is truly a walk through time. One definition of an anthenaeum is an institution for the promotion of learning and the Redwood Library is just that. The great old books are almost irrelevant, everywhere you look you see paintings, sculptures, furniture and other works of art. The library has great exhibitions that are always changing and right now an exhibit called "A Sense of Place" is taking place. Running until the end of 2011, this is a selection of old and very rare maps of Newport and the surrounding area. We spend several hours looking at the incredible display of cartographic history. There is no charge to visit the library and look around but donations are happily accepted. A portion of the ceiling collapsed 2003 but the whole building and impressive grounds have since been renovated and the library probably looks better now than it has in decades. Stoic, massive, splendrous, stately and filled with rare and wonderful things, if you love old libraries and traveling back in time, this is the one you have to see.

If you don't LOVE this place then you are beyond hope and your life must seriously suck! The history of this place alone always astounds me. Just want to sip on tea, read all day, and get my learn on.

What a wonderful find amongst the tourist traps of Newport. I admit, I came here as a resting stop (non-Pokemon GO, actually, I have no idea since I'm tech-averse) while waiting for my dinner reservations. I was surprised by such raving reviews for a library, but as soon as I walked in, I realized quickly that this was more than a library, but rather a small museum that held a piece of time and history within the vaults of leather-bound mysteries. This place is free for any library card holders and I got to view a very nice collection of antique car photography. There was a nice section of books for great price, $1-$5 and two desk strewn (in an organized manner) with magazines, from NYorker, The Economist, National Geography and etc. I had hoped for the chairs to be a little more comfortable, but if it were too comfortable, I may have fallen asleep.

The Redwood Library is not your typical library. Yes, it's a library but it is also a very historic place, the way the Boston Public Library or the Athenaeum are. It is actually the oldest library in this country, established in 1747. While it is not a free public library, relying on its membership base for support, you can go in at any time to read, research or explore the building. Designed by architect Peter Harrison, who also designed Newport's Brick Market and Touro Synagogue, along with several buildings in Boston and Cambridge, the original building (just one room!) has been expanded over the years, yet the library retains many of the historic elements that make this place so unique. Many of the volumes that this building originally held vanished during the Revolution, stolen by the bloody British who needed something to read, but the library made a conscious effort to replace them over the years and for the most part, succeeded. There are some old books in here. The Redwood is located on Bellevue Avenue, right next door to the Newport Art Museum. These two magnificent New England institutions are well worth a visit when you are in Newport and need to have a friendly cultural experience after all of the eating, drinking and dancing you enjoy down on the waterfront. While the Newport mansions get the lion's share of the press, The Redwood and The Newport Art Museum are my own personal favorites, with their blend of history, art and culture. They also have amazing events all throughout the year. Talk about good parties.... The children's collection used to be crammed into a very small room but now is housed in a building just across the street which was formerly a private home. It has its own personality and is a really nice addition to The Redwood experience. I think some of the librarians in the older building clearly appreciate having the littlest readers across the street and out of the way. If you like history, architecture, books and well-preserved buildings, check out The Redwood next time you visit Newport. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington stopped in. You should, too.

The providence athenaeum is much better and its free. Unless you have a student ID to get free admission here i would not waste your time. Its $10 and half the place is off limits to non members. I found it odd that the statue busts faced out the windows and no inside. Its a nice stop if you are dead set on seeing a library if not don't go.

This library was beautiful, history, and free to visit. I had a rather large shoulder bag with me, so I had to check it in at the front desk (the one on the right). The lady at the desk, who had given us a brief and informative introduction to the library, said she would guard my bag "with her life." I'm a little wary about leaving my bag anywhere, especially near an entrance/exit, but this was a small town, so I thought I should trust people a little more. I was a little disconcerted later on, when, upon leaving and going to pick up my bag, I saw that the lady had left and there was a new person in her place. It's my bag! You said you'd guard it with your life! Well, nothing was missing, so after getting over that initial panic, I was fine again. But the library itself was spacious, had a lot of light (in most parts), and some rooms with amazingly old books whose titles you could read from behind the gated/fenced-in cabinet doors. There was one called "Dissertations on Food," from the 18th or 19th century. Awesome to see that foodie-ism goes way back. One thing that I found strange about the library, though, was that it seemed confused about its identity--was it an archive and collection of writing from and about New England, past and present? Or was it a contemporary library that carried authors like Barbara Taylor Bradford and Carol Joyce Oates?

loved it! Incredible library dating back to 1747, technically the oldest lending library in the country. Guided tours daily at 2pm for $5 was a bargain, spent about 40 minutes with a docent who was extremely knowledgeable and quite personable. If this sort of thing appeals to you, the Redwood will not disappoint.