The McGraw Rotunda (formerly Central Hall) is a rectangular-shaped space on the third floor.
It is situated between the Public Catalog and Salomon Rooms, which are respectively located to the west and east, and separates two passageways that lead northward and southward.
The rotunda contains a red marble base with dark wood walls and a plaster barrel vault.
There are alcoves on the side walls, supported by columns with Corinthian capitals, which are intended for murals.

The rotunda contains a set of panels painted by Edward Laning in the early 1940s as part of a WPA project.
The work includes four large panels, two lunettes above doorways to the Public Catalog and Salomon Rooms, and a ceiling mural painted on the barrel vault.
The four panels are located on the east and west walls and depict the development of the written word.
The lunette above the Public Catalog Room's doorway is "Learning to Read", and the lunette about the Salomon Room's doorway is "The Student".
The ceiling mural is called "Prometheus Bringing Fire to Men".
The four panels and two lunettes were completed in 1940, and the ceiling mural was completed in 1942.
The McGraw Rotunda (formerly Central Hall) is a rectangular-shaped space on the third floor. It is situated between the Public Catalog and Salomon Rooms, which are respectively located to the west and east, and separates two passageways that lead northward and southward. The rotunda contains a red marble base with dark wood walls and a plaster barrel vault. There are alcoves on the side walls, supported by columns with Corinthian capitals, which are intended for murals.
The rotunda contains a set of panels painted by Edward Laning in the early 1940s as part of a WPA project. The work includes four large panels, two lunettes above doorways to the Public Catalog and Salomon Rooms, and a ceiling mural painted on the barrel vault. The four panels are located on the east and west walls and depict the development of the written word. The lunette above the Public Catalog Room's doorway is "Learning to Read", and the lunette about the Salomon Room's doorway is "The Student". The ceiling mural is called "Prometheus Bringing Fire to Men". The four panels and two lunettes were completed in 1940, and the ceiling mural was completed in 1942.
New York Public Library Main Branch