NEW YORK (AP) — Falling plaster has forced the New York Public Library to close its biggest reading room.
The 1911 Rose Main Reading Room that covers two blocks on Fifth Avenue remained closed Saturday after a piece of plaster came down earlier this week.
A library official told The New York Times (http://on.nypl.org/1fQpGJB ) that it’ll be several weeks before the space opens after a thorough safety inspection.
The plaster fell from the reading room’s 52-foot ceiling on Wednesday night after the library closed.
A renovation on the Beaux-Arts library building was completed in 1998, with the reading room restored to its original condition. The ceiling was repainted with a cloud design to give visitors a sense of the sky.
Other rooms will temporarily be available to replace the damaged reading space.
