Folger Shakespeare Library - Washington, DC

Address:201 East Capitol St., SE
Washington, District of Columbia
Tel: (202) 544-4600

Hark, what light in yonder window breaks? Why, it's the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill! Home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare materials, as well as major collections of other rare Renaissance books and works of art, the Folger Shakespeare Library is a library and museum combined, a treasure trove dedicated to the arts in general and the performing arts in particular.

The Folger Shakespeare Library's collection has two foci: artifacts from the early modern age in the West (aka. Europe), from about 1450 to the mid-1700s; and materials related to William Shakespeare and the theater from Shakespeare's time through the present day. The museum houses more than 256,000 books, 60,000 manuscripts, 250,000 playbills, 200 oil paintings, about 50,000 drawings, watercolors, prints, photographs and a wealth of theater paraphernalia. This wide scope provides theater enthusiasts with such a variety of things to see and read that one afternoon at this museum may not be enough! Even if you don't know Shakespeare from Dr. Seuss, you can learn about the man and his work, check out cool, authentic theater costumes, and attend musical and theatrical performances (Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean).

Visitors to the Folger Shakespeare Library can take advantage of the museum's knowledgeable staff by participating in docent-led tours of the library and the grounds. Tours of the building and the current exhibitions are available Monday through Friday at 11am and on Saturday at 11am and 1pm, while tours of the museum's Elizabethan Garden are available every third Saturday of the month, from April through October, at 10 and 11am. Both of these tours are available with no prior booking.

Founded by Henry Folger, (the nephew of James Folger, founder of the Folger Coffee Company), the Folger Shakespeare Library has been impressing crowds since its opening in 1932. Although the museum is located on Capitol Hill near the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and the various Smithsonian museums, it is in fact a privately endowed and supported institution. When Henry Folger was asked why the library was not built near Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon in England, he replied, "I did think of placing the library near the bones of the great man himself, but I finally concluded I would give it to Washington, for I am an American."

If you are coming to the Folger Shakespeare Library by car, keep in mind that the museum does not have a visitor parking lot but limited street parking is available. During the day, paid parking is available at the National Capital Bank on Pennsylvania Avenue, near Third Street, or at Union Station, a short taxi ride from the museum. You can reach the museum by Metrorail on the Orange and Blue Lines; you can also take the Red Line, but it is a farther walk from the station to the museum. Additionally, several Metrobus routes include bus stops within walking distance of the museum, including the 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 96, or 97 bus routes along First Street, East Capitol Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and other major roads.

The Folger Shakespeare Library, located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, is a world-class research center on Shakespeare and on the early modern age in the West. It is home to the world's largest and finest collection of Shakespeare materials and to major collections of other rare Renaissance books, manuscripts, and works of art.