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The Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States, founded in 1807. Its five-story Italianate building on Beacon Street houses a quarter-million volumes, fine art, and one of the country's most significant private collections.
Founded in 1807 by members of the Anthology Club (which included Ralph Waldo Emerson's father), the Athenaeum moved to its current Beacon Street building in 1849. It served as the de facto Museum of Fine Arts before the MFA was established in 1870.