The New York Public Library’s gorgeous Rose Reading Room is reopening after two years

After two years of extensive repairs (and $12 million dollars) two of New York’s most majestic rooms are finally reopening to the public.

The New York Public Library Rose Main Reading Room and The Bill Glass Public Catalog Room will once again be filled with bustling bookworms beginning October 5.

The historic spaces closed in May 2014 after a 16-inch plaster rosette un-ceremonially dropped from the reading room’s ceiling. A subsequent inspection found that room’s gorgeous ceiling mural was extensively damaged. 

To celebrate the reopening, the library is hosting a free exhibition on the restoration called “Preserving a Masterpiece: From Soaring Ceilings to Subterranean Storage” which will run through October 9.