The Central Library of the BPL is one of the most beautiful Art Deco buildings in America. It was actually originally supposed to be a Beaux-Arts structure in the style of the Brooklyn Museum, but WWI and then the Great Depression put a halt on the initial design. The bronze gateway features fifteen bronze panels by sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones that depict heroes of American literature. The panels are flanked by limestone pylons with Art Deco detailing by the German-American sculptor C. Paul Jennewein. Every time I’m in the neighborhood I try to walk by the library just to admire these gems.