The Boston Athenaeum, founded in 1807, is a member-supported nonprofit organization located in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. It functions as a combination of library, museum, and cultural center, housing a circulating collection of over 500,000 books, 100,000 rare books, maps, and manuscripts, and 100,000 works of art within its 12-story building.
The organization fosters curiosity about literature, culture, art, ideas, and the world. It serves as an essential destination for scholars, artists, and the book-loving community, hosting exhibitions, author talks, book clubs, concerts, and research opportunities.