The pediments at the ends of the front, the one at the north representing History and the one at the south Art, are by George Grey Barnard.

The fountains are by Frederick MacMonnies.

Above the main entrance are six figures by Paul Bartlett, in order from south to north, Philosophy, Romance, Religion, Poetry, Drama, and History.

Augustus St.Gaudens, who was to have directed the choice of the sculptors and supervised the work died before the Library was completed.
Although consideration of the Public Library must necessarily be brief, a word should be said of the collection of paintings.

The paintings comprise the gifts of three donors: James Lenox, whose collection of about fifty paintings was presented in 1877; the Robert Stuart Collection of about two hundred and fifty paintings, bequeathed by Mrs.
Stuart in 1892; and some of John Jacob Astor's pictures, presented by William Waldorf Astor in 1896.