Rosenbach Museum & Library

Why go

Rosenbach Museum & Library earns time because it offers an intimate literary collection with rooms that still feel tied to private collecting. Its central thread is rare books, manuscripts and decorative arts inside the Rosenbach brothers' townhouse. Manuscripts and early editions connect writers' working lives with the finished books. Marianne Moore's Greenwich Village living room is preserved as a complete interior.

What to look for

• Manuscripts and early editions connect writers' working lives with the finished books.
• Marianne Moore's Greenwich Village living room is preserved as a complete interior.

The full story

Rosenbach Museum & Library is best understood through rare books, manuscripts and decorative arts inside the Rosenbach brothers' townhouse. The Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia is located within two 19th-century townhouses at 2008 and 2010 Delancey Place in Philadelphia. The historic houses contain the collections and treasures of Philip Rosenbach and his younger brother Dr. A. S. W. Rosenbach. The brothers owned the Rosenbach Company which became the preeminent dealer of rare books, manuscripts and decorative arts during the first half of the 20th century. Dr. Rosenbach in particular was seminal in the rare book world, helping to build libraries such as the Widener Library at Harvard, The Huntington Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library. In 2013, the Rosenbach became a subsidiary of the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, but maintains its own board and operates independently of the public library system. On April 2, 2008, the Rosenbach Museum & Library received an official State Historical Marker by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in recognition of the lasting contributions of museum co-founder, Dr. A.S.W. Rosenbach. The commission commemorated Dr. Rosenbach’s legacy as one of America’s greatest rare book dealers and his lasting contributions to Philadelphia and beyond with a marker in front of the museum, located at 2008-2010 Delancey Place in Philadelphia’s historic Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Among America’s most influential rare book dealers, he helped build many of the nation’s great libraries.

Useful to know

• Reserve a timed entry or guided tour when offered; the house has limited capacity.
• Allow about ninety minutes if you want both the historic rooms and manuscript displays.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.