Carnegie Library in Reims: an Art Deco visit and opening hours
You can visit Carnegie Library free of charge, without booking, at 2 place Carnegie. Its wrought-iron entrance, mosaics and stained glass make it a rewarding stop for an interest in Art Deco. Readers still work here, so a visit to the interior calls for quiet, particularly in the reading room.
Looking at the building, seeing a temporary exhibition and consulting rare documents are different activities. The first two are open to independent visitors; research access to protected collections needs preparation.
Practical details
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Address | 2 place Carnegie, 51100 Reims |
| Independent visit | Free, no reservation required |
| Reading room | Quiet working space; visiting groups limited to five people |
| Regular closures | Monday, Sunday and French public holidays |
| Accessibility | The library lists access for people with reduced mobility; contact reception about your requirements |
| Telephone | +33 3 26 77 81 41 |
Information checked with Reims libraries on 28 October 2026. Organised groups and guided visits have their own arrangements. Contact the library if you want commentary in a particular language; the independent visit does not include a guide.
Why Reims has a Carnegie library
The municipal collection was previously housed in the town hall. A fire on 3 May 1917 destroyed around a third of it, though valuable documents had already been moved to safety during the war.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace provided 200,000 US dollars for a new library. Reims architect Max Sainsaulieu designed it, with construction taking place between 1921 and 1927. President Gaston Doumergue and US ambassador Myron T. Herrick inaugurated the building on 10 June 1928.
That history connects the library to the reconstruction of Reims. Its design gives as much attention to protecting books and organising rooms as to the decoration visitors come to see.
What to look for inside
The entrance and its geometric patterns
The wrought-iron door by Schwartz-Haumont uses diamonds, circles and bead-like details. Auguste Biret designed the entrance mosaics. Together, the entrance ensemble won a gold medal at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, before the library opened.
Follow those geometric shapes into the building. Sainsaulieu worked on furniture and decorative details alongside the layout, bringing wood, glass, metalwork and mosaic into the same architectural project.
Jacques Simon’s hanging lantern
In the entrance hall, a green-marble and onyx fountain stands beneath a large pendant light by Jacques Simon. Look at how light meets the surrounding materials, rather than moving straight through to the next room.
Jacques Gruber’s reading-room glass
The reading room has three side windows and a large glazed ceiling feature by Jacques Gruber. He is a different glass artist from Jacques Simon, who made the hall’s pendant light.
This room remains a quiet study space. The library limits visiting groups to five people. If you arrive with a larger party, ask reception how to arrange your visit without disturbing readers.
The old card catalogue
The catalogue room retains its paper files. New cards stopped being added when the library computerised its catalogue in 1996. The furniture and cards show how readers found documents before online searches.
Carnegie Library opening hours
Reims follows zone B of the French school-holiday calendar. Those dates may differ from school holidays in your home country. The midday break also matters when planning a visit.
| Period | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Outside zone B school holidays | Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–19:00. Thursday: 14:00–19:00. Saturday: 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00. |
| During zone B school holidays | Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday: 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00. Thursday and Friday: 14:00–18:00. |
| Throughout the year | Closed Monday, Sunday and public holidays. |
These hours were checked on 28 October 2026. Consult the official opening-hours page (French) for exceptional changes. During school holidays, Friday mornings are closed and opening days finish at 18:00.
Exhibitions and rare collections
From 19 September 2026 to 9 January 2027, Reims révélée : la photographie rémoise des origines aux années 1920 explores early photography in the city. The library lists independent visits to its heritage exhibitions as free and without booking; guided events have separate conditions.
Around half a million documents are held here. The semicircular rear of the building contains storage across five levels, which is not an independent visitor route.
To consult a manuscript, a book printed before 1850 or an item held in reserve, submit a request in advance. The library states a maximum response time of five working days. Manuscript requests must explain your research need, and identification is required for consultation. You do not need a library membership simply to enter the public building.
For more places to explore local collections, see our Reims museums guide.
