The first time I visited Louis Kahn’s Exeter Library, I didn’t know why it was so famous. The building is tall, overly geometrical and made out of a generic New England brick. It looks like one of the many boring red brick buildings that sit on the campuses many schools in New England.

The second time I visited, I knew that the real reason to visit the library is to see the interior spaces. An architectural critic in My Architect discuses that the building’s genius is the surprise of the interior compared to the exterior. I would agree.

This is an awful picture.

The interior is soft, warm and inviting compared to the stark and dull exterior. If you do visit the Exeter Library, make sure you go inside.

• December 10th, 2008
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