‘Paper City’: 3.5 Million Pages of Epstein Files on Display in New York ‘Library’
Mariem Bah
A Manhattan gallery has transformed into a physical archive holding 3.5 million pages of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case, aiming to bring transparency and justice to victims. The exhibition, organized by a nonprofit, features bound volumes of DOJ-released files and has drawn survivors who describe the experience as both validating and painful.
About a mile from the Manhattan jail where convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in 2019, a modest gallery at 101 Reade Street in Tribeca has become a physical archive of cases connected to the financier. More than 3.5 million pages of law enforcement documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice have been printed, bound, and stacked into 3,437 volumes, lining walls from floor to ceiling.
The exhibition, titled the "Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room," is organized by the Institute for Primary Information, a nonprofit focused on transparency and anti-corruption initiatives. Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges in July 2019 before hanging himself in his cell a month later, leaving victims without a chance to seek justice. The reading room aims to shed light on the many Epstein-related cases that never went to trial.
The shelves hold documents released under the Epstein Records Transparency Act, along with timelines, handwritten visitor logs, and a memorial space for survivors and victims. Since opening two weeks ago, the gallery has drawn a steady stream of visitors, including people abused within Epstein’s network.
Lara Blume McGee, who was 17 when Epstein abused her, visited the reading room last week. She described entering the space as stepping into a "paper city" of 3.5 million pages on display—a sight that "hit her like a physical punch." What she remembers most is a dense silence. "A thick silence of memory," she said. "Row after row, bound volume after bound volume, each life, each name, a day that should never have happened if the U.S. government had acted when he was reported to the FBI in 1996."
The archive’s immense scale is intentional. Organizers say the physicality of the documents forces visitors to confront not just the scale of Epstein’s crimes but also the number of lives affected. Thousands of victims have been identified within Epstein’s abuse network. One of the most prominent survivors, Virginia Giuffre, died by suicide in April 2025.
David Garrett, co-founder of the exhibition, said the project was built around survivors from the start. "We focus on the victims and survivors more than anything," Garrett said. "The most important thing is transparency and accountability." He described the exhibition as part of a broader effort to create "real-world pop-up museums" to apply public pressure on corruption and institutional failures.
The process of assembling the archive was chaotic. Garrett said organizers downloaded files from the Department of Justice in March, believing they had received properly redacted documents. Only after printing the collection did they discover that many survivors’ names remained visible in the files. "It appears the DOJ modified the search function rather than actually redacting names," Garrett said. "They flagrantly violated the law."
Finding a venue also proved difficult. Garrett said some locations backed out after agreeing to host the exhibition, citing fears of controversy or retribution. The Tribeca gallery became the fifth venue organizers approached. Despite the challenges, survivors and advocates quickly embraced the project.
On Tuesday, the gallery hosted a 24-hour live reading of the files led by survivors, advocates, and supporters. Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor, opened the livestream on Monday afternoon. Garrett recalled a woman who walked silently through the space for hours before telling organizers she, too, had been a victim of sexual abuse. "She said this helped her realize she was seen," Garrett said.
For Blume McGee, being seen brings both relief and frustration. "For years, we were told to stay quiet, take settlements, move on," she said. "Seeing our truth preserved in a public archive feels like an overdue acknowledgment of our pain, abuse, and reality." But she cautioned that documents alone are not justice. "Visibility without consequence only extends the wound," she added. "We need both: the files on the table and a government acting—investigations, prosecutions, reforms—so that 'finally being seen' becomes safe."
