The Athenaeum

The Athenaeum in Liverpool is marked by a keystone above its entrance that depicts the head of the Greek goddess Athena. Founded in seventeen ninety-seven, the institution was established to provide the city's merchants and professional men with a private library and a space to consult the latest newspapers and pamphlets. It predates the similarly named London institution by twenty-seven years and was intended to offer a quieter, more focused alternative to the city's crowded coffee houses.