Old Shanghai Municipal Library

Old Shanghai Municipal Library

The Old Shanghai Municipal Library is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

The Old Shanghai Municipal Library is located at No. 181 Heishan Road and features an architectural style that blends modern and traditional Chinese elements. It lies along the north-south central axis of the administrative center, between Fuqian Right Road and Funan You Road, facing east with its back to the west, directly opposite the museum. The building has a "工"-shaped floor plan, with both ends of the front section extending forward, resembling the Wumen (Meridian Gate). The total area is 3,470 square meters, and the design also allows for future expansion, potentially doubling its capacity.

The central facade of the library features a gatehouse, with the highest point of the roof ridge reaching approximately 25 meters. On the first floor, the central area is the entrance hall, followed by the newspaper reading room, book stacks, offices on the left wing, and a children’s library and lecture hall on the right wing. The second floor houses reading rooms, lending services, and catalog rooms, with research rooms and special reading rooms in the side wings. The central front section of the second floor includes a mezzanine used as storage, which can be accessed via an open-air staircase leading up to the gatehouse. Architecturally, the library draws inspiration from traditional Chinese gatehouses. On top of the flat-roofed two-story structure sits a double-eaved hip-and-gable gatehouse in the “Chinese traditional style.” It is symmetrical on both sides and exhibits characteristics of neoclassical tripartite composition. The interior features traditional elements such as red pillars and painted decorations.

The Old Shanghai Municipal Library is a district-level protected cultural heritage site. In 2014, it was designated as a municipal-level protected cultural heritage site.