George Peabody Library

Libraries and churches have a lot in common. For example, people don't like it if you talk really loudly while you're inside them. They can also be places where people can experience life-changing, sometimes even spiritual, revelations. So it's fitting that one of the country's most stunning libraries has earned itself a reputation of being a virtual "Cathedral of Books". Welcome to Baltimore's George Peabody Library... an unexpectedly beautiful temple of literature and art!

The library was a gift to the people of Baltimore from philanthropist George Peabody (duh). Not only did his generous present to the city include the gorgeous building (which has 5 stories, each capped with ornate cast iron balconies decorated with gold-scalloped bookcases and illuminated by a huge, soaring skylight) and a massive collection of books, but it also came with a series of lectures, an art college and a music conservatory... basically, it was a palace dedicated to the arts.

Inside, you can find books on virtually any subject (except, weirdly enough, music); topics that are notably well represented include archaeology, British art and architecture, British and American history, biography, English and American literature, Romance languages and literature, Greek and Latin classics, history of science, geography, and exploration and travel (their map collection is wanderlust-inducing). There are about 300,000 books from which to choose, most of which are from the 18th-20th centuries. If you love that "old book" smell, then you'll find yourself right at home!

Today, it's is a part of Johns Hopkins Special Collections Department, but the non-circulating library remains free and open to the general public-- plus Johns Hopkins is always expanding the collection and keeping the gorgeous building in great shape so that people can come enjoy the library's beauty and its literature for years to come. Oh, and you can rent the space out for weddings, galas, and other events... seriously, doesn't getting married in a library sound super romantic???

The George Peabody Library, housed in the world-renowned Peabody Institute of Music, is part of the Sheridan Libraries Special Collections at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to its traditional use as a research library, the George Peabody Library has now become the premiere wedding  and event venue in Baltimore.

The magnificent library is the perfect setting for your most significant celebrations. Start your evening with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the sophisticated Exhibition Gallery surrounded by pieces from the Johns Hopkins Libraries’ diverse and rare collections.

After your cocktails, the main doors swing open to reveal Peabody’s decadent vision – “An extensive library, well-furnished in every department of knowledge.” Today the collection contains over 300,000 volumes and is remarkable for its historic breadth and depth.  Your guests will be surrounded by six tiers of stately cast-iron columns, decorative railings, and classical embellishments touched with gold-leaf in this room that rises 61 feet from its black-and-white marble floor to the massive skylight that caps the central interior. Warmly lit, the space is so perfectly proportioned that, although the room is monumental, the feeling is intimate.

Whether you would like to host an intimate luncheon for 40, a seated dinner with dancing for 170, a seated dinner for 200, or a cocktail party and dance for 400, you’ll find the space to be as flexible as it is elegant.