Get an insider view of this extraordinary building! 30 minutes tours will be offered every hour on the hour, beginning at 10:00am, with the last tour beginning at 3:00pm. Led by knowledgeable library staff, you will learn about breadth of library services, the history of the Central Library, our local history collections and genealogy room, and the Mark Twain Room. Guided tours will provide a behind-the-scenes peek at the Tiers, the 2-city-block-long spaces where our expansive collections are stored. We will also have a hands-on activity for kids and families. Tours will meet and begin at the Ring of Knowledge.

The Central Library at 1 Lafayette Square opened in 1964, following the merging of three different library collections in the 1950s. The building itself replaced an earlier library building (in service from 1887-1963) on this highly visible site in the middle of downtown Buffalo. At this location, previously the site of Erie County’s earliest courthouse and jail, Library services co-existed with the collections that were the foundation of today’s Buffalo Museum of Science, the Buffalo History Museum, and the AKG Art Gallery — truly a cultural birthplace for Buffalo!

Back to Doors Open Buffalo 2026 Building List

Register for Doors Open Buffalo 2026