Ghostbusters – The New York Public Library: Where It All Began
Few film locations are as instantly recognizable to fans as the majestic New York Public Library, the site of the first ghost encounter in Ghostbusters (1984). Located at the iconic intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 42nd Street in the heart of Manhattan, this historic building set the stage for the unforgettable beginning of the Ghostbusters’ adventure.
The library’s grand Beaux-Arts architecture — with its massive columns, marble lions, and vast reading rooms — provided the perfect contrast to the supernatural chaos that unfolded inside. It was here, deep in the shadowy stacks, that the three founding Ghostbusters — Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) — faced their first specter: the now-famous ghostly librarian who terrified audiences by transforming from a quiet apparition into a shrieking phantom.
Beyond its role in Ghostbusters, the New York Public Library is one of the city’s most beloved landmarks. Opened in 1911, it houses millions of books, rare manuscripts, and treasures of knowledge — but for many fans, its halls will always echo with memories of proton packs, ghost traps, and that eerie silence before the first scare.
👉 Visiting the library today
The library is open to the public and free to enter. Visitors can explore its magnificent reading rooms, admire the famous marble lions Patience and Fortitude that guard the entrance, and relive moments from the film in its stunning spaces. While there is no official Ghostbusters tour, many city tours include the library as a stop on their movie-themed routes.
👉 A filming fun fact
Although the exterior shots were filmed at the real library, the interior scenes in the book stacks were recreated on a soundstage due to restrictions on filming inside. Still, the library’s powerful visual presence left a lasting mark, forever etched in pop culture as the true setting of that first, unforgettable scare.
