Auguste Lesouëf, a famous bibliophile and brother of Anne-Léontine Smith, died in 1906 leaving her sister and his nieces the entirety of his book collection comprised of 18,000 titles, among which some very rare manuscripts and incunabula. After their mother died in 1912, the Smith sisters decided to bequeath the collection to the BnF and built a special edifice to keep the books. The construction work took place between 1913 and 1917 and was entrusted to Théodore Dauphin and his son-in-law Paul Marion. Upon the advice of Pierre Champion, the brick façade and its high slate roof were inspired by Louis XIII-style architecture. In spite its old-fashion appearance, the library displays innovative architectural elements such as a glass ceiling with skylight entering at every level without damaging the rare books. The building opened its door to the public in 1919 under the name “Bibliothèque Smith-Lesouëf” and was occupied by the BnF up until the 1980s, when the collections were transferred to the central storage.
Today, the building holds books that belonged to former residents of the Maison nationale des artistes, as well as a collection of furniture and decorative art (miniatures, furniture, nativity figures, drawings or sculptures) belonging to Auguste Lesouëf and entrusted to the Fondation des Artistes by the BnF.