22 of America's Most Beautiful College Libraries

Originally constructed in 1928 as BC's main library, the striking Gothic building now houses Bapst Art Library. With its tall arches, vaulted ceiling, and beautiful stained-glass windows, it almost resembles a medieval church.

Terra cotta statues of Homer, Dante, Galileo, Shakespeare, Da Vinci, and other luminaries crown Suzzallo Library, which is widely considered a masterpiece of Collegiate Gothic architecture. If you look closely at the bookcases in the reading room, you'll see hand-carved friezes depicting Washington state's native plants.

A memorial to Harry Elkins Widener, a bookish young Harvard grad who died aboard the Titanic, the university's flagship library is appropriately distinguished in style. The classical building is awash in marble, carved wood, and antiques.

This Romanesque building is not only the oldest library on Cornell's campus, it also contains a library within a library. Inside, Cornell's first president, Andrew Dickson White, built a gorgeous repository for his rare book collection inspired by European universities, complete with stained glass windows, wrought iron stacks, and antiques.

A gothic masterpiece, Thompson Memorial Library at Vassar features stained glass windows from England, a stone frieze with various university seals, and 17th-century Flemish Gobelins tapestries depicting the romance of Cupid and Psyche.

You wouldn't know it from the outside, but hidden inside Healy Hall is Georgetown's most gorgeous library (and the campus's main library until 1970). One of the country's few remaining cast iron libraries, Riggs still houses a selection of books and serves as an event space.

Hartman Cox Architects used one of the university's earlier study spaces as the inspiration for the Janite Lee Reading Room, which they built in 1997. With its vaulted, beamed ceiling, wood paneling, and high windows, it looks like something straight out of Tudor England.

You don't need to be a philosopher to appreciate the Hoose Library at USC. Just take a look at the intricate Moorish-style columns and the series of mosaics that represent the subject's progression from the ancient Near East to modern America.

With one tower resembling King's College in Cambridge and another with Byzantine imagery, UChicago's Harper Memorial Library is a study in subtle contrasts. Inside the vaulted reading room, you'll find coats of armor amid the tables and chairs.

Part of the Peabody Institute of Music, the George Peabody Library exemplifies the exquisite cast iron architecture of the late 1800s, when it was built. With five levels of balconies culminating in the dramatic skylight, the library has become a premier wedding venue in Baltimore.

In 1888, architect Frank Furness went against the classical and Romanesque trends of the day and built this luminous library using a material decidedly more mundane than marble—red brick. Yet he used it to stunning effect, creating dramatic arches and vaulted ceilings.

Built in 1931, the Cook Legal Research Library looks like something straight out of

Harry Potter. Stained glass windows, intricate woodwork, and Medieval-inspired chandeliers decorate the massive Hogwarts-like reading room.

New York City comes with its fair share of distractions, but with a library as gorgeous as Butler, it's no wonder Columbia students ace their exams. Designed by James Gambell Rogers, the classical building has plenty of cozy nooks in addition to a great hall lined with mezzanines.

Yalies have architect Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to thank for their unique midcentury library. Bunshaft ingeniously constructed the walls using Vermont marble, which filters light and protects the library's rare and delicate tomes.

The Anne Bremer Memorial Library houses some one-of-a-kind WPA era murals by Victor Arnautoff, a disciple of Diego Rivera who painted one of the frescos in San Francisco's Coit Tower. Students can admire murals by the Mexican master in the nearby Diego Rivera Gallery.

One of Alabama's most historic buildings, the McLure Education Library was named in 1975 in honor of John Rankin McLure, the Dean of the College of Education, according to the university. The building was once used as a post office and cafeteria, and later transformed into a dorm for male students after World War II. It was remodeled in 1954 into the stunning library it is today.

The second library at University of Chicago on our list, the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library opened in 2011 and is the university's newest library. The 61,719 square foot building is an architectural wonder: the library is primarily underground, with a glass dome structure on top.

Firestone is the main library on the Princeton University campus. It first opened in 1948 and was the first large university library constructed after World War II in America. The building was renovated again in 1988, and now has over 70 miles of bookshelves. Fun fact per the library website: Firestone also has more books per enrolled student than any other American university.

Named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Geisel (also known as Dr. Seuss), the six story, stepped tower opened in 1970. The library is home to the Dr. Seuss Collection, featuring approximately 8,500 items from Geisel's work, including sketches, notebooks, videotapes, and other memorabilia.

This gorgeous library at UVA is a history buff's dream: the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collection library holds more than 13 million manuscripts, 325,000 rare books, and 250,000 photographs with a major focus on American history and literature.