// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Psychedelic Athenaeum say? "I'm tripping over books.
 | |
| Formation | February 2023 in New York City, New York[1] |
|---|---|
| Founders | Kathleen "Kat" Lakey, Suzy Baker, Sarah Fernandez, and Abby Lyall[1][2] |
| Dissolved | May 2025[3][4] |
| Type | Psychedelic library and community center |
| Location | |
| Members | >100 in December 2023[6] |
Parent organization | The Psychedelic Assembly |
| Website | thepsychedelicassembly |
The Psychedelic Athenaeum, or Psychedelic Athenæum, was a psychedelic library and community center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City that operated in the mid-2020s.[1][7][2][5][6][8] It was founded by Kathleen "Kat" Lakey, Suzy Baker, Sarah Fernandez, and Abby Lyall in February 2023.[1][7][2] However, the center closed its doors in May 2025 after a little over 2 years of operation.[3][4]
The Psychedelic Athenaeum was intended as a safe space for the psychedelic community.[1][8] It was a public but member-based organization and had more than 100 members in late 2023.[1][7][6] In addition to holding thousands of books and operating as a quiet reading and working space during the day, the center also hosted events at night and featured a café.[7][5][6] Use, sale, or trade of psychedelics was not allowed at the location.[9][7][5][6] The center was described as the world's first and only psychedelic athenaeum or library.[1][6] Its parent organization was The Psychedelic Assembly.[5][8]
Dennis McKenna and the new edition of his memoir the Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss were featured at the grand opening of the center.[7][10] One of the center's co-founders, Lyall, assisted in co-writing a bill to legalize adult possession of several psychedelic and related drugs in New York state.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gaudino, Linda (21 July 2023). "Meet the NYC millennials behind the world's first psychedelic social club". NBC New York. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Siebert, Amanda (25 May 2023). "New York City's Psychedelic Athenæum: A Place To Find The Others". Forbes. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 Gorsline, Jack (30 July 2025). "Requiem for the Psychedelic Assembly… for Now". The Other Magazine -. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- 1 2 "The Athenæum". The Psychedelic Assembly. 11 August 2026. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
From 2023 to 2025, The Psychedelic Assembly operated the Athenaeum, the world's first public psychedelic library and community center. [...] For two and a half years, the Athenaeum became a second home for psychonauts. [...] While the Athenaeum closed its doors in 2025, the community that was born within its walls is still growing strong.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rahmanan, Anna (19 October 2023). "I spent my morning in a psychedelic library in midtown Manhattan and I can't stop thinking about it". Time Out. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Corrado, Katie (5 December 2023). "Psychedelic reading library and forum gaining popularity in Midtown". PIX11. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nuwer, Rachel (7 October 2023). "The Quiet Reading Room That Gets Trippy After Dark". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Holyanova, Maria (11 August 2023). "New York Now Has a Psychedelic Athenaeum And Its "Doors of Perception" Are Now Open". Psychedelic Spotlight. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ Gaudino, Linda (24 July 2023). "Step Inside the World's First Psychedelic Athenaeum". YouTube. NBC New York. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
- ↑ Jordan, Ken (23 February 2023). "Dennis McKenna's Heroic Mushroom Journey". Lucid News - Psychedelics. Retrieved 23 September 2026.