Look to your right and you’ll spot the New London Public Library, a sturdy sandstone building topped with a red-tiled roof and a massive, rounded entry arch-like the library equivalent of a welcoming bear hug.
Now, this isn’t your average library. The whole affair started with a family inheritance-when Henry Philomen Haven, a whaling merchant with a knack for making boatloads of cash, died in 1876. After a rather soap-operatic twist-his son Thomas died before the money could be split-the family trust decided to funnel Thomas’s share (which would be about $1.5 million in today’s dollars) into something for the public good. The result? By 1889, Boston architects Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge got to work, sticking closely to Henry Hobson Richardson’s famously “chunky” Romanesque style… and project supervisor George Warren Cole kept a close eye on the local masons.
It officially opened in 1891-a time when a library card was more valuable than a TikTok tutorial. The building stayed nearly untouched for nearly a century, save for an elevator that seemingly appeared out of thin air. Modern renovations have expanded the place, but the original welcoming vibe? Still intact.
When you’re ready, head north for about 3 minutes to reach Whale Oil Row.
