Parkway Central Library (Beaux-Arts civic library)

The Parkway Central Library was completed in 1927 and was designed by the Horace Trumbauer firm with Julian Abele credited as the chief designer. The building displays Beaux-Arts architectural characteristics, including a monumental limestone façade, classical ornament, and a grand interior stair hall. It anchors the Benjamin Franklin Parkway cultural corridor and exemplifies early 20th-century City Beautiful ideals in Philadelphia. The library continues to serve as the Free Library of Philadelphia's main research and public-service facility.