The Main Branch building New York Public Library in 1908, during late stage construction. Upon his death in 1886, New York governor Samuel J. Tilden bequeathed funds to build a grand library in New York City, and that money was used to combine the financially struggling Astor and Lenox Libraries. Construction began in 1902 and the library officially opened on May 23, 1911.Photo: Detroit Publishing Co.; Restoration: Lise Broer