Library of Congress

Green illustration of the Court of Neptune fountain with black text on a white background

The Library of Congress (LOC) is the oldest cultural institution operated by the United States Federal Government and is considered to be one of the largest collections of literature in the world. It was officially established in 1800 after settling in Washington D.C. and has grown to house over 164,000,000 total works from all over the globe in a variety of languages. The LOC is unique in that while open to the public it does not allow members of the public to check out any materials, in fact, only members of Congress and employees may patronize the library. The LOC boasts a staff of over 3,000 people and is headed currently by Carla Hayden.

The library does not only contain impressive literature, it also possesses a beautiful fountain affixed with hand-carved bronze sculptures titled the ‘Court of Neptune Fountain’ located in front of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. The artist Roland Hinton Perry at only 27 years old completed the sculptures in 1898 and they have remained ever since. In 1993, the fountain entered the historical registry and is regularly maintained to preserve its exterior.