The Central Library, by Cass Gilbert, is a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style, a triumph of combining ancient influences from Greece and Rome, with the best of the Italian Renaissance. The main branch of the St. Louis Public Library system combines elements of the Tabularium, the ancient Roman records hall with the Barberini and Farnese palaces built in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Today, we’ll look at the facade of the building, and tomorrow we’ll examine the little details that make this such a stunning library.