A Monument to Shakespeare

The Architecture of the Folger Shakespeare Library 

Henry Clay Folger and his wife Emily wanted to create a monument to Shakespeare in the U.S. Capitol. This would be their gift to the American people, an architectural presence on Capitol Hill, and an anchor to the nation’s cultural mile. This exhibition shows how Henry, and after his death, his wife Emily, worked with architect Paul Philippe Cret to create a marble building that looks like a book, and speaks to the hope that Washington DC would become a cultural center. 

Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm 
Sun noon – 5pm 

Folger Shakespeare Library 
201 East Capitol Street, SE

Washington, DC