After a three-year, $87 million renovation closed its doors, the Folger Shakespeare Library reopened to much fanfare on June 21. Designed by architect Paul Philippe Cret, the Neoclassical landmark first debuted on April 23 (the Bard’s birthday) in 1932. With its pristine, white marble façade, it has been an iconic sight on Capitol Hill ever since.

Over the years, however, its usefulness was hobbled by poor access; lack of research and exhibition space; and unsafe conditions for the rare books and manuscripts on view. “We needed a solution that opened the building and made it unambiguously welcoming,” says Folger director Michael Witmore. KieranTimberlake and OLIN—Philadelphia architecture and landscape firms, respectively—were tapped to mastermind an overhaul.

A 12,000-square-foot public wing inserted beneath the historic structure today houses installations, interactive experiences and exhibition halls where rare books, now properly preserved, are on display. Outdoor spaces were conceived as extensions of the new interior, with garden rooms heralding lower-level entry to the building at its east and west corners. Along the front façade (pictured), a raised terrace showcases famed bas-reliefs of Shakespearean scenes—as well as the Capitol dome beyond.

Renovation Architecture: KieranTimberlake, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Landscape Architecture: OLIN, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Construction: Gilbane, Arlington, Virginia.