Redwood Library & Athenæum

Chartered in 1747 by 46 citizens of Newport, the Redwood Library & Athenæum is a hybrid museum, rare book repository and the oldest continuously operating library still in its original structure. The nation’s oldest public Neoclassical building, it was designed by America’s first architect, Peter Harrison and is a registered National Historic Landmark.  The Redwood contains over 200,000 titles in its Circulating and Special Collections, with another 751 titles forming the Original Collection, purchased by the founders in 1750 and housed in the historic Harrison Room. Featured on permanent view is an exceptional collection of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century portraits by such artists as John Smibert, Robert Feke and Gilbert Stuart, in addition to a range of sculpture, furniture & decorative arts. Two fine art galleries feature rotating exhibitions and a variety of lectures and concerts are scheduled though-out the year.