Glass dome
Over the reading room.
Aristoi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aristoi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aristoi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aristoi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aristoi — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Schœlcher Library is the public library of Fort-de-France, Martinique's capital, standing at a corner of Rue de la Liberté opposite La Savane square in the city centre. It is named after Victor Schœlcher, the French politician who led the abolition of slavery in 1848. Schœlcher left his large collection of 10,000 books and 250 musical scores to Martinique's council on condition that the library be open to all, especially for the education of formerly enslaved people. The architect Pierre-Henri Picq designed the building and first put it up in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris in 1886 and 1887, before it was shown at the 1889 World's Fair. The building was then taken apart, shipped across the ocean and reassembled in Fort-de-France. Its front combines iron, glass and coloured brick in ornament inspired by Byzantine and Eastern styles, and an ornate glass dome crowns the reading room, pouring light onto the wooden bookshelves. Entry is free, as it is a public library. Check opening times before you go, keep quiet in the reading room, and combine the visit with a walk around the neighbouring La Savane.
Over the reading room.
Iron and coloured brick.
Next door.
Rue de la Liberté, Fort-de-France, Martinique
Yes, it is a public library.
It was put up there for display, then shipped to Martinique.