The Library Restaurant, Portsmouth NH

Located in a historic mansion that was constructed in 1785 and later converted to a hotel followed by a 1975 conversion to condominiums, Portsmouth's Library restaurant is one of the city's signature upscale restaurants with an interior reminiscent of a Victorian-era library with books, chandeliers, stained glass, Colonial vaulted ceilings, and fireplaces. During its time as a private home and hotel, many famous people have stayed at the mansion or the hotel that followed, including George Washington, Franklin Pierce, James K. Polk, Theodore Roosevelt, Chester Arthur, William Taft, and John F. Kennedy. Among many noteworthy meetings and events to take place here was a ceremonial signing of the Russo-Japanese Treaty of August 8, 1905.

This mansion was originally built in 1785 for Judge Woodbury Langdonand and was known as "The Rockingham House." On November 1, 1833, Thomas Coburn converted the building to a hotel. An 1884 fire fire destroyed much of the building's ornate interior but the dining room remained intact. The owner at that time decided to rebuild the hotel around the dining room which today is a restaurant.

Many of the historic furnishings of the hotel remain in the restaurant including mirrors imported from France, Italian marble floors, and the original lighting fixtures and front desk.

“About a Top Steak House & Fine Dining Restaurant.” About A Top Steak House & Fine Dining Restaurant, www.libraryrestaurant.com/history-of-a-top-nh-steakhouse-library-restaurant. Accessed 9 May 2023.