Mount Vernon Cultural Walk: Enoch Pratt Free Library

Be Here Stories

The Mount Vernon Cultural Walk is created by The Baltimore National Heritage Area (BNHA), which promotes, preserves, and enhances Baltimore's historic and cultural legacy and natural resources for current and future generations. A walking tour of this and other destinations is available at www.explorebaltimore.org/tours. Located at 400 Cathedral Street In 1882, businessman Enoch Pratt offered Baltimore the gift of a central library, four branch libraries, and a $1 million endowment to maintain them. “My library,” Pratt declared, “shall be for all, rich and poor without distinction of race or color, who, when properly accredited, can take out the books if they will handle them carefully and return them.” The Pratt opened in 1886 as the nation’s first citywide library system. The current Pratt Central Library, a stunning Art Deco structure completed in 1933, is the second library building on this site. To welcome all, it features a street-level entrance rather than an imposing grand staircase; its 12 front windows were modeled after department stores. The building includes ornate ceilings, a state-of-the-art teen center, an open central hall, a children’s library with an iconic goldfish pond, and much more. In 2019, the library underwent a $115 million renovation funded by the state, city, and private donors. One of the country’s most widely used public libraries, the Pratt has expanded to 22 locations and serves as the State Library Resource Center of Maryland. Its mission is to empower, enrich, and enhance the quality of life for all through equitable access to information, services, and opportunity.