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Central Library (Brooklyn Public Library)

September 01, 2023

The Central Library, originally the Ingersoll Memorial Library, is the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in Brooklyn, New York City. Located on Grand Army Plaza, at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway, it contains over 1.7 million materials in its collection and has a million annual visitors. The current structure was designed by the partnership of Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally in the Art Deco style, replacing a never-completed Beaux-Arts structure designed by Raymond Almirall. The building is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Brooklyn Public Library–Central Building
Seen in July 2021, with Black Lives Matter sign in entryway
LocationGrand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, New York City
Coordinates40°40′21″N 73°58′06″W / 40.67250°N 73.96833°W / 40.67250; -73.96833
Area2.8 acres (1.1 ha)
Built1911–1940
ArchitectRaymond F. Almirall (1911); Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally (1935)
SculptorThomas Hudson Jones and C. Paul Jennewein (bronze gateway)
Architectural styleBeaux-Arts and Art Moderne
NRHP reference No.01001446[1]
NYCL No.1963
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 11, 2002
Designated NYCLJune 17, 1997

The site of the library was selected in 1905, but groundbreaking for the Brooklyn Central Library did not begin until 1912. Escalating costs and political infighting slowed construction throughout the next two decades, and only the Flatbush Avenue wing of Almirall's building was ever completed. In 1935, Githens and Keally were commissioned to redesign the building in the Art Deco style; construction recommenced in 1938, and Almirall's building on Flatbush Avenue was largely demolished. The Central Library opened to the public on February 1, 1941, and its second floor opened in the mid-1950s. The structure was significantly renovated in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2020s.

The Central Library is a four-story building that resembles an open book as viewed from the air. The modern façade is made of limestone and contains relatively little ornamentation, except around the main entrance on Grand Army Plaza. The main entrance façade, accessed by a raised terrace, is curved and contains various inscriptions, in addition to tall, gilded columns by C. Paul Jennewein and a screen by Thomas Hudson Jones. The Flatbush Avenue wing to the southeast is longer than the Eastern Parkway wing to the east; both wings contain decorative windows and additional entrances. The library's 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m2) interior is centered around a triple-height circulation room. There are various reading rooms on the first through third stories, as well as an auditorium beneath the main entrance terrace.

Site Edit

The Brooklyn Central Library is in the central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, on the border of the Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Crown Heights neighborhoods. It is located on a roughly triangular site facing Eastern Parkway to the north, Grand Army Plaza to the northwest, and Flatbush Avenue to the southwest.[2] The site has dimensions of 610 feet (190 m) on Flatbush Avenue, 581 ft (177 m) to the east, and 416 ft (127 m) on Eastern Parkway.[3] The main entrance, at the northeast corner of the building, is recessed behind a raised terrace.[2] The Central Library's main entrance faces the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch within Grand Army Plaza, the primary gateway to Prospect Park, to the west. The building shares a large city block with Mount Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Brooklyn Museum to the east and southeast.[3]

The library building is part of a larger land lot along the eastern side of Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Empire Boulevard. The then-independent city of Brooklyn had acquired this land in the 1860 for the creation of modern-day Prospect Park.[4] Egbert Viele's first proposal for Prospect Park, in 1861, called for the park to straddle Flatbush Avenue.[5][6] Land acquisition began in 1860,[5] but the onset of the American Civil War delayed further development of the park;[6] following the war, the land to the east of Flatbush Avenue was excluded from the park.[7][8] The Mount Prospect site went unused until the late 1880s, when a library was proposed for a portion of the site.[9] Mount Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden occupied the remainder of the site.[10]

Development Edit

As early as April 1889, Brooklyn's park commissioners had recommended constructing a Brooklyn central library near Grand Army Plaza, just outside Prospect Park.[11][12] The Brooklyn Public Library system was approved by an Act of Legislature of the State of New York on May 3, 1892.[13][14] The BPL opened its first branch library, the Bedford Library at PS 3 in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, in December 1897;[14][15] this branch moved among various buildings, including a former mansion at 26 Brevoort Place.[16] Although the formerly independent city of Brooklyn became part of the City of Greater New York in 1898, the BPL declined to merge with the New York Public Library (NYPL).[9] In the long run, the BPL wanted to build a central library and a series of branch libraries throughout the borough of Brooklyn.[17]

Planning Edit

Site selection Edit

By March 1900, the BPL's directors were planning to construct a central library in Brooklyn;[18][19] the New York State Legislature had provided $500,000 (equivalent to $17.6 million in 2022) for the construction of such a structure.[20] That May, the BPL's board voted to recommend that the central library be built along Eastern Parkway, as close as possible to Grand Army Plaza.[21] Andrew Carnegie donated $1.6 million (equivalent to $56.3 million in 2022) to BPL for the construction of 20 Carnegie branch libraries in 1901,[10][22] but the New York City government would only appropriate money for a central library after funding for the branch libraries had been secured.[23] Carnegie also considered funding the central library under the condition that the BPL, the private Brooklyn Library, and the Long Island Historical Society combined their collections.[24][25] At the time, several sites for a central library building were being considered, including a plot at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Herkimer Street in Bedford–Stuyvesant.[26] The Brooklyn Library merged its sizable reference collection with that of the BPL in 1902,[10][27] but the Long Island Historical Society refused to merge with the other two libraries.[28]

Although BPL president David A. Boody urged the creation of a central library for Brooklyn,[29] the trustees wished to first build several of the 20 Carnegie branches.[30] By mid-1904. a committee had been created to identify and recommend sites for the Brooklyn Central Library.[31][32] After a year of consultations, consulting architect A. D. F. Hamlin recommended in May 1905 that the central library be constructed at Grand Army Plaza;[33] mayor George B. McClellan Jr. authorized the selection of that site shortly afterward.[34][35] Various persons opposed the site for its small size, irregular shape, and distance from Downtown Brooklyn.[35] New York City's parks commissioner wanted the plaza site to be used as parkland,[35] and the director of the Brooklyn Museum wanted the site for future expansion of the museum.[36][37] At McClellan's request, Carrère and Hastings, the architects of the NYPL's main branch, determined in November 1905 that Grand Army Plaza was a suitable site for a central library.[38][39] The next month, the BPL's site-selection committee ratified the selection of the Plaza site.[40][41] The plaza was already well served by public transit, and there were plans to extend the New York City Subway to the area.[42]

Approval of Almirall's plans Edit

 
The entrance facing Grand Army Plaza

The Board of Estimate allotted $25,000 (equivalent to $814,300 in 2022) in May 1906 for the preparation of plans for the central library.[43][44] Local architect Raymond F. Almirall, who had designed three Carnegie libraries in Brooklyn,[45] was hired that July to design the Brooklyn Central Library.[46] Almirall, Hamlin, and BPL chief librarian Frank Hill went to Europe,[47][48] analyzing two dozen buildings in various cities.[10] They wrote a lengthy report later the same year,[10] which was presented to the BPL's trustees in October 1906.[49] Almirall had submitted plans for a $3.25 million (equivalent to $102.1 million in 2022) central library to the BPL's directors by September 1907.[50] The directors postponed a decision on these plans, citing uncertainty over the plaza site,[51][52] before conditionally approving them that November.[53] The Municipal Art Commission also approved the plans in December 1907.[54][55]

The BPL had begun accepting bids to construct the new library and requested $300,000 from the Board of Estimate in January 1909, at which point the building's estimated cost was as high as $5 million (equivalent to $162.9 million in 2022).[56] Later that year, Boody asked the city government to issue bonds for the project.[57] The Board of Estimate appropriated $300,000 for the library building in 1910 and promised to give $530,000 in each of the two following fiscal years.[58] By the time the NYPL had completed its main branch in 1911, the BPL had not even started its own central library,[59] even though the Brooklyn Central Library had been planned before the NYPL Main Branch.[60] Work on the Brooklyn Central Library was supposed to begin that June,[42] but the Board of Estimate refused to grant an appropriation for the building the next month.[58][61] Test borings for the site commenced in July 1911,[62] and plans for the Flatbush Avenue wing were filed with the Bureau of Buildings in January 1912.[63]

Construction of original building Edit

Construction of the Brooklyn Central Library's first section spanned multiple mayoral administrations with varying levels of interest in completing the building.[64] The Brooklyn Central Library's groundbreaking ceremony occurred on June 5, 1912, with mayor William Jay Gaynor in attendance.[65][66] A contract for the foundations was awarded the same month.[62]

Initial progress and work stoppage Edit

Engineers surveying the site found in early 1912 that the site had large amounts of peat moss[67][68] and that the building needed deep foundations because of its proximity to the Mount Prospect Reservoir.[69] Early the following year, the BPL requested $20,000 (equivalent to $592,200 in 2022) for books for the Central Library.[70][71] Workers were also busy excavating the building's foundations,[72] but foundation contractor Charles Meads reported that the work was several months behind schedule because of inclement weather, loose ground, and a lack of funding.[73] Although the foundation had been completed by early 1914, there was not enough money for the rest of the structure, and the city and the foundation contractor had become involved in a lawsuit over cracks in the foundation.[74] Gaynor's successor, John Purroy Mitchel, felt that funds for the Central Library would be better spent on schools and other projects.[64]

City aldermen appropriated $210,000 for the construction of the building's Flatbush Avenue wing in December 1915. Local newspapers reported that, if the wing were not constructed, the foundation would deteriorate.[75][76] Plans for the basement and first story of the Flatbush Avenue wing were filed with the Bureau of Buildings in March 1916, at which point the wing was expected to cost $600,000.[77][78] Brooklyn's borough president filed revised plans for the wing that September,[79][80] and the BPL began receiving bids for the library building's construction,[81] Brooklyn's borough president rejected all the bids in December 1916 for being too expensive;[82][83] the same month, an additional $56,000 was appropriated for the project.[84] Work on the Flatbush Avenue wing began in March 1917.[62] Although contractor Thomas Dwyer had only just started erecting the basement and first floor by the beginning of 1919, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said about $724,000 had been spent on the building to date,[85] while city officials gave a different figure of $412,000.[86] According to the city, Almirall had received $129,000 in architects' fees through the end of 1919, despite the minimal progress on the building.[86][87] Local residents wanted the building's development to be accelerated, as many volumes in the BPL's collection were being damaged or were inaccessible.[88]

No construction occurred from 1918 to 1925, while John Francis Hylan was mayor of New York City.[11] Borough president Edward J. Riegelmann requested another $1 million (equivalent to $16.4 million in 2022) from the city in 1921,[89] and city officials agreed to an additional appropriation that May after touring the still-incomplete edifice.[90] The same year, a fence was erected around the site.[62] Governor Nathan L. Miller signed legislation in April 1922 authorizing officials to raise money for the building's completion. Afterward, Riegelmann asked the Board of Estimate for permission to raise $11 million in bonds for the Central Library.[91] Because Hylan opposed further funding for the building,[92] the Board of Estimate notified Riegelmann in July 1923 that it would not provide further funding for the Central Library unless the plans were scaled down.[93] Hylan's refusal to fund the Central Library became a point of contention in the 1925 New York City mayoral election, where Hylan's opponents claimed that he had doubled the city's budget without providing anything for the library building.[94][95] Only one story of one wing had been completed and was covered with a temporary roof.[96]

Attempts to complete the building Edit

After Jimmy Walker succeeded Hylan as mayor at the beginning of 1926, his comptroller Charles W. Berry expressed support for completing the Central Library.[97] The Board of Estimate indicated in April 1926 that it would provide $750,000 (equivalent to $12.4 million in 2022) for the Central Library,[98][99] and it approved the appropriation that June.[11] By then, the building was planned to cost $14 million to $15 million (equivalent to $231 million to $248 million in 2022).[11] City experts recommended that, as a money-saving measure, the expensive Tennessee marble facade of the first story be replaced with cheaper limestone or Missouri marble.[100] Despite Brooklyn officials' desire to resume work as soon as possible, the city did not award a contract for a year after receiving the appropriation.[101] The city hired the Thomas J. Waters Company in August 1927 to complete the building,[102][103] and work finally resumed that October.[104] The Waters Company demolished the existing Tennessee marble facade,[104][105] which was expected to reduce total construction costs by $2 million.[106] Afterward, the company planned to construct a three-story wing measuring 285 by 60 ft (87 by 18 m) across.[104]

The Board of Estimate voted in November 1928 to authorize the issuance of up to $1.25 million in stock for the Central Library's completion,[107][108] and Brooklyn officials began soliciting bids for the building's completion.[109] City officials agreed in July 1929 to demolish a water tower in Mount Prospect Park, which abutted a portion of the building's foundation that had to be rebuilt,[110] but the water tower was not razed until six months later.[111] By the end of 1929, city engineer William P. Hennessy was preparing plans for the construction of the building's Eastern Parkway wing, rear wing, and central portion.[112][113] A groundbreaking ceremony for these three sections occurred on January 6, 1930.[114] Contractors were obligated to complete the foundations for these three structures within 250 days.[115] By early 1931, Brooklyn borough president Henry Hesterberg was requesting another $9 million[116][117] or $9.5 million from the Board of Estimate.[118] Although the board had previously been reluctant to give the Central Library such a large appropriation, Hesterberg said the city could reduce the total construction cost by funding the entirety of the project at once.[118]

Work stalled once again in 1931, after the foundations were finished.[119] On rainy days, the foundations of the Eastern Parkway wing were inundated, and local children often played with model boats there;[120][121] at one point, a boy reportedly drowned in the foundations.[121] By 1932, the BPL's directors were calling the Central Library "a monument to municipal procrastination".[122] The site was also referred to as the "Pigeon Palace",[123] the "Pigeon Roost",[119] the "Roman Ruins of Brooklyn",[123] and a "hideous old wreck".[124] The system's circulation had more than doubled compared to 1912, when the Central Library's construction had started, while the number of patrons had nearly doubled.[122] Hesterberg requested in early 1932 that the city pay Almirall $258,000 in architect's fees.[125] At the same time, the city's board of aldermen notified the BPL that the city government did not have enough funding to cover the Central Library's full cost.[126] The BPL unsuccessfully attempted to obtain funding for the library in 1931 and 1933.[124]

Current library Edit

In late 1933, local businessmen asked the city government to request a $9 million (equivalent to $203.5 million in 2022) loan from the Public Works Administration (PWA).[127][128] After more than a year, the city voted in April 1935 to request $5 million (equivalent to $106.7 million in 2022) from the PWA.[129] Brooklyn borough president Raymond Ingersoll announced the next month that Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally had redesigned the building; most of the main public rooms were relocated to the ground story, while offices and backroom operations were relocated to the upper stories.[130][131] Ingersoll promised that September to finish the Central Library.[132] Mayor Fiorello La Guardia officially requested the funding from the PWA the same month,[12] but the PWA had still not approved the loan by the end of that year.[133][134] Githens and Keally completed their preliminary designs in February 1936.[135][136] The original Beaux-Arts design was completely scrapped in favor of an Art Deco design, and the building was redesigned with a fan-shaped plan.[137]

Redesign and completion Edit

Local leaders formed a committee in February 1936 to advocate for the building's completion.[135][136] Supporters of the Central Library said the BPL's existing central library was suitable for a city with 50,000 residents, two percent of Brooklyn's population at the time.[138] Between April and June 1936, about 200,000 people signed a petition asking PWA secretary Harold L. Ickes to approve money for the building.[139] By then, Ingersoll described the Central Library as the highest-priority "needed improvement" in Brooklyn.[116] Parks commissioner Robert Moses drew up revised plans for the Central Library, La Guardia sent these plans to the BPL in August 1936.[140][141] Ingersoll requested $2 million from the Board of Estimate in January 1937.[119][142] and the board approved the funding two months later.[143][144] The board also approved $20,000 for a modification of the plans that May;[145] it would approve the remaining funds once the plans had been revised.[146] Draftsmen quickly began revising the plans,[147] and the Board of Estimate appropriated $1.883 million for the project that November.[148][149]

Ingersoll began soliciting bids for the Central Library's construction in December 1937.[150][151] Shortly thereafter, the Cauldwell–Wingate Company received the $1.3 million general contract for the project, and four other companies were awarded contracts for mechanical work.[152][153] Work began on February 14, 1938, with the demolition of the existing fourth story[154][155] and removal of the original decorations.[156][157] To save money, the existing frame was retained.[157][158] The Board of Estimate approved $30,000 for sculptures on the Central Library in April 1938,[159] and Thomas Hudson Jones and C. Paul Jennewein were hired to design the sculptures, which the Municipal Art Commission approved the same year.[160][161] In June 1938, the PWA authorized $2.5 million for the Central Library;[162][163] only the first story was to be fitted out initially.[137] The building was nearly completed in August 1939, several months ahead of schedule,[164] but the city had not appropriated funding for salaries.[165] The city issued $200,000 in bonds that August to fund further construction,[166] and the Board of Estimate provided another $101,000 two months later for equipment.[167][168]

La Guardia toured the Central Library in December 1939,[169][170] by which time administrative staff had begun moving into the third floor.[170][171] Because the second floor had not been furnished, the BPL's extension department was forced to work in the building's garage.[171][172] The BPL began moving books into the Central Branch in early 1940,[173][174] and the Central Library had 360,000 books in its stacks by that October.[175] That month, BPL chief librarian Milton J. Ferguson requested another $300,000 to complete the second floor,[175][176] and the Board of Estimate agreed to provide $500,000 shortly afterward.[177] The BPL also announced plans to spend $1,500 on inscribed capstones memorializing Ingersoll, who had died the same year.[178][179] Upon its opening, the building had 170 employees, excluding WPA workers,[180] and it contained 460,000 books in its collection.[173]

Opening, 1940s, and 1950s Edit

 
View of the library when it opened

The Central Library opened for public previews on February 1, 1941, as the Ingersoll Memorial Library;[181][182] the library building opened for limited service two days later.[183] It was the first permanent library building to be opened in Brooklyn in nearly two decades.[184][a] Because the basement and second story were largely unfinished, some of the offices were housed within the reading room and within a completed portion of the second story.[123] Within two weeks of the building's opening, so many patrons had borrowed books that the BPL limited the number of books that cardholders could borrow;[186][187] furthermore, the building could only operate for four to seven hours per day due to staff shortages.[188] The Central Library was formally dedicated on March 29, 1941,[189] and the Ingersoll memorial capstones were dedicated in September 1941.[190][191] The children's library and three departments of the Central Library opened at the beginning of October 1941.[192][193] By then, the library building was handling 400,000 volumes, prompting Ferguson to ask for money to expand the stacks.[194]

The opening of the Central Library meant that the BPL no longer had to rent space for its administrative offices.[195] Consequently, when the building was completed, about two-thirds of the interior was used for administrative purposes.[196] With the Central Library's opening, the BPL could also take many of its books out of storage.[195] By the beginning of 1942, the Central Library was operating eleven hours a day on weekdays.[197][198] The Central Library opened a "consumers' corner" with books about consumption of goods in early 1942,[199] and it began lending phonograph records to BPL cardholders the same year.[200] In October 1942, the BPL formally dedicated the bas-reliefs that Jennewein had carved into the main entrance's columns.[201][202]

By late 1946, BPL officials believed that the building's second floor needed to be completed to accommodate the borough's growing population.[203] At the time, the second floor did not have any flooring, lighting, or radiators, and there was exposed wiring.[204] The BPL's trustees asked the City Planning Commission in 1948 for $1.385 million to complete the second floor;[204][205] of this, $385,000 would come from the city's 1949 and 1950 budgets.[206] The still-incomplete second floor was used for an exhibit in 1951.[207] New York City public works commissioner Frederick H. Zurmuhlen requested in April 1952 that the Board of Estimate approve $900,000 for the fitting-out of the Central Library's second floor.[208] By then, the Central Library had a total annual circulation of 1.021 million, about one-seventh of the BPL system's total circulation.[209] The New York Times wrote that library patrons often stood in the main circulating room, while the second floor was being used as storage space.[121]

The Board of Estimate appropriated $900,000 for the second floor in August 1952, at which point increasing material costs had caused the project's price to rise to $1.125 million.[121] Three of the ground-story reading rooms would be relocated to the second story.[120] The building's basement would contain new workshop space, and a pneumatic tube system would be installed throughout the building. The project would increase the Central Library's usable space from 60,224 to 102,000 square feet (5,595.0 to 9,476.1 m2).[209] The New York City Department of Public Works began soliciting bids for three construction contracts in September 1952,[121][209] and the city awarded $1 million in contracts for the project at the end of that year.[120][210] Work on the Central Library was delayed by a strike in mid-1953,[211] but the second story was completed in 1955.[212] The BPL installed a flagpole outside the Eastern Parkway wing of the building in 1959.[213]

1960s and 1970s Edit

In 1960, the BPL's chief librarian Francis R. St. John requested money to rehabilitate the Central Library,[214][215] but the Board of Estimate was willing to provide only $30,000 out of the requested $2.5 million.[216] St. John asked the city for another $115,000 in 1961,[217] though he said the next year that the project would cost $3.235 million.[218] The first and second floors were extended to the rear in 1964, concealing the rear facade.[212][219] After mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. approved $2.891 million in funding for the building's expansion in April 1965,[220][221] the BPL hired Keally and Frederick G. Frost Jr. & Associates to design an annex to the building.[222] Brooklyn borough president Abe Stark announced the same year that floodlights would be installed on the Central Library's facade.[223] The BPL planned a two-story annex with a garage and a service room for adults, as well as several new rooms and a set of escalators in the existing building. The new spaces would include a phone-reference room and a book processing department on the first floor; a reading room, microfilm area, and research cubicles on the second floor; and remodeled offices and a larger cafeteria on the third floor.[222] The BPL was still awaiting final approval for the renovation by 1967.[224]

A renovation of the Central Branch began in August 1969.[225] The project lasted several years, with the building remaining open throughout.[226] The Central Library's biography/history/travel and language/literature departments were moved to another part of the building in February 1971, after part of the second floor had been renovated,[227] and the art/music and audiovisual divisions were moved that October.[225] The lobby's floor was replaced later the same year.[228] The renovation was completed in July 1973 when several spaces opened on the first floor. These included an expanded periodicals wing in the rear; a language and literature wing on Flatbush Avenue; the Ingersoll Room, which had an extensive paperback collection; and the children's library on Eastern Parkway.[226] The renovation allowed the BPL to begin circulating books that had previously been stored in the building's stacks.[229] The city government approved funding for further repairs to the Central Library in 1974.[230]

1980s and 1990s Edit

The BPL began raising money for more improvements to the Central Library in 1982,[231] and the library system announced in 1983 that it would install security cameras throughout the building.[232] Five computer terminals opened at the Central Library in 1987, allowing visitors to access a catalog shared by the BPL, NYPL, and Queens Library.[212] The BPL built two stories of administrative offices above the Central Library's garage in the early 1990s.[233] The Central Library had always operated on weekdays during its first half-century, but budget cuts forced the BPL to close the building on Mondays in 1991.[234][235] By then, the library operated an adult literacy program and an education and career center, and it presented film screenings and book readings to patrons.[235] According to BPL director Larry Brandwein, the budget cuts had also forced him to eliminate several popular programs at the Central Library, such as a "term paper clinic" and a "homework hotline".[236] The main entrance screen was cleaned in 1993.[237] The same year, a garden themed to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was added outside the children's library entrance.[237][238]

BPL officials announced in early 1996 that they would add computers with internet access to the Central Library; at the time, no BPL branches had internet, but the NYPL and Queens Library both offered that service.[239] After the computers were installed in October 1996,[240] there was extremely high demand for the computers.[241] A 2,300-square-foot (210 m2) "multilingual center", with books in several languages, opened at the Central Library in October 1997.[242][243] The same year, the card catalogs in the lobby were removed.[212] By the late 1990s, local youths frequented the Central Library because of the lack of after-school activities at local schools; this led The New York Times to describe the Central Library as a "de facto day-care center".[244] The children's library, in particular, was frequently overcrowded because of the lack of a courtyard and because the computers in the room were extremely popular.[245]

The children's library was expanded starting in July 1999,[246] and it reopened in mid-2000 as the 10,500-square-foot (980 m2) Youth Wing.[247][248] The renovation, designed by Pasanella, Klein, Stolzman and Berg,[248][249] cost $2.5 million.[248] The room's dropped ceiling was removed, allowing the restoration of the original windows; in addition, about 40 computers were installed in the Youth Wing,[245][249] A technology loft was built on the mezzanine.[248][249] The wing's main room was named for Yetta and Louis Schwartz, whose daughter had donated $1 million to the BPL.[248]

2000s to present Edit

 
Reconstruction of the Grand Army Plaza terrace entrance in 2005

By the early 21st century, most of the building's administrative functions had been moved to Queens.[196] The BPL announced in 2004 that it would spend $16 million rebuilding its main terrace to designs by Vincent Benic.[59] The BPL also wished to build a 200-seat auditorium underneath the terrace;[250] the auditorium had been part of Almirall's original design but had never been constructed because of a lack of money.[250][251] By 2005, more than $14 million had been raised for the terrace and auditorium.[251] During the renovation, labor unions complained that the BPL was hiring non-union contractors.[252] The second floor was renovated in 2006, at which point the Brooklyn Collection's reading room opened.[212] The auditorium, which was supposed to be completed in mid-2007,[253][254] opened that October and was named for S. Stevan Dweck, a doctor who donated $1.5 million.[255] The BPL raised $100,000 for further improvements to the Central Library during 2009.[256]

The Central Library's Passport Service Center opened in May 2011, making it the first library branch in New York City to issue passports;[257][258] over the next two years, the center processed applications for 21,000 passports.[258] After philanthropist Shelby White donated $3.25 million to the Central Library in 2010, the BPL announced that it would create a research center named after White and her late husband Leon Levy.[259] The Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons opened in January 2013[260][261] following a renovation designed by Toshiko Mori.[262] The Info Commons was frequented by patrons who used the space for meetings, research, and even a wedding.[262] The BPL opened an enrollment office for IDNYC cards at the Central Library in 2015.[212][263] By the mid-2010s, the Central Library was often filled to capacity, and the structure was in poor condition.[196] The New York Daily News estimated that the BPL needed to spend $67.7 million to renovate the Central Library and replace its fire alarms, air conditioning, roofs, windows, elevators, and bathrooms.[264]

The BPL announced in 2018 that it would spend $135 million renovating the Central Library in four phases.[196][265] It rehired Mori to renovate the building.[266] The library was temporarily closed from March 2020 to May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[267][268] The first phase of the renovation, costing $38 million, was completed in May 2021 and involved adding a book gallery, expanding various rooms, updating the bathrooms and elevators, and redecorating the interior.[269][270] The second part of the renovation commenced in 2022 and involved expanding the adult learning center, adding a room for teenagers, renovating book-collection spaces, and overhauling the HVAC system. The BPL also planned to build a footbridge to Mount Prospect Park and rearranging storage spaces in the basement.[271]

Architecture Edit

The original library was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Raymond F. Almirall.[272] Much of Almirall's original design, consisting of a central pavilion on Grand Army Plaza flanked by wings on Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue, was never built. Had the structure been fully constructed, it would have contained two basements and four above-ground stories.[50][54] The current Brooklyn Central Library was designed by Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally in the Art Deco style, with decorations by Thomas Hudson Jones and C. Paul Jennewein.[273][274] Githens and Keally's design is a three-story limestone structure, with a pair of wings flanking the entry terrace on Grand Army Plaza.[275] The building also has some Art Moderne decorative elements, such as the terrazzo floors and wood wainscots in the lobby.[276]

Form and facade Edit

In general, the facade is made of Indiana limestone,[277] except below the first story, where the facade is made of gray granite.[278] According to the National Park Service, the Central Library's shape resembles an open book as viewed from the air.[3] The modern facade contains relatively little ornamentation, except around the main entrance on Grand Army Plaza, which is decorated with literary motifs.[279] There is another entrance to the Civic Commons section of the building on Flatbush Avenue.[280][281] The eastern part of the site is higher than the western portion; as such, the main entrance is raised from the ground, while the eastern part of the library building is almost precisely at ground level.[157][282] The Central Library has retained most of its 1930s design over the years.[283]

Main entrance Edit

 
Detail of the entrance. The columns contain gilded bas-reliefs by C. P. Jennewein, and the screen contains 15 panels by Thomas H. Jones.

At the northwest corner of the Central Library is a main entrance pavilion with a curving facade on Grand Army Plaza;[275] the curved facade alludes to the plaza's elliptical shape.[3] Three stairways from the north, northwest, and southwest ascend to a terrace just outside the main entrance. Between each stairway is a small planting bed with metal fences.[284] The northern edge of the terrace contains a flagpole.[285] Each stairway has wrought-iron railings and granite side walls. The center staircase (facing northwest) is divided into four short flights and is flanked by a pair of lighting fixtures with three lamps.[284] There are granite capstones below the lamps, each of which has inscriptions from Raymond Ingersoll, the borough president of Brooklyn when the building was erected.[178][284] Early plans for the plaza called for a map of Brooklyn to be carved within the pavement.[135][136] Another set of stairs leads up from the terrace to a brick landing, which in turn leads to the actual entrance.[3]

The main entrance facade is four stories high, flanked by side sections measuring three stories high.[284] The roof of the facade's central section is 80 ft (24 m) tall[286] and is topped by a pair of cubic staircase enclosures, which are set back from the rest of the facade.[285] The three-story-high sections on either side of the main entrance contain recessed windows.[284] Between the windows on different stories are dark-green spandrel panels which are described as being made of Virginia alvarene stone.[284][286] The windows are divided into four panes at the first story, while the second- and third-floor windows each feature one pane.[285] The walls on either side of the central entrance contain inscriptions by Roscoe Conkling Ensign Brown, the BPL's president during the late 1930s.[284][287]

At the center of the facade is a rectangular doorway flanked by 50-foot-tall (15 m) columns.[288][289] On the columns are gilded bas-reliefs designed by Jennewein,[288][289] which depict both classical and contemporary figures.[59] These columns support an entablature above the doorway with the inscribed name "Brooklyn Public Library" in all caps.[284] At ground level is a revolving door flanked by double doors on either side;[3] all of these doors are made of bronze.[285] Above each of these doors is an inscription by Brown.[284] The inscriptions, in turn, are topped by a 40-foot-tall (12 m) bronze screen designed by Jones.[290] The screen is split into 15 square panels, each of which are gilded and depict a literary character.[279][290] The panels on the left depict the sciences, while those on the right depict the arts.[277] At the third story, the grille contains a pair of gilded owls, each of which is perched on a globe lamp with an elaborate base.[290] Three lighting fixtures are recessed within the soffit at the top of the doorway.[285]

Wings Edit

 
Windows on side facades

Both wings are designed in a modern classical style;[158] the Flatbush Avenue wing was built as part of Almirall's original design but was re-clad during the 1930s.[157] The Flatbush Avenue wing extends southeast and is longer than the Eastern Parkway wing, which extends east.[291] Both wings are recessed from the sidewalk and contain planted lawns in front of them, with ventilation grates on the lawn facing Eastern Parkway.[282] Each facade contains three-story-high bays of recessed windows; there are 11 bays facing Eastern Parkway and 13 bays on Flatbush Avenue.[292] Within each bay, the windows on each story are divided vertically into a large central portion flanked by narrower panes on either side.[292] There are dark-green spandrels above the first- and second-story windows, each of which contain classical motifs, quotes, star shapes, and borders with checkerboard patterns.[292]

Immediately adjacent to the curved main entrance facade, the Flatbush Avenue elevation of the facade contains a cornerstone with the inscription 1938.[282] There is a stairway immediately to the right, descending to a service entrance with two bronze doors.[292][293] The southern end of the Flatbush Avenue wing contains a three-story annex, which curves northward to the parking lot at the rear of the building. The first story of this annex is clad in limestone and dates to the building's reconstruction in 1940. The upper two stories are clad in concrete and were built in 1990.[292] There are literary motifs and classical decorations on the upper two stories,[282] as well as single-pane windows.[291] The eastern elevation of the Flatbush Avenue annex contains a service entrance.[282][293]

On Eastern Parkway, adjacent to the main entrance, a ramp leads to a staff entrance to the basement.[292][293] The staff entrance contains bronze doors similar to those on Flatbush Avenue. A secondary, wheelchair-accessible public entrance is at the eastern end of the Eastern Parkway wing.[292] The easternmost Eastern Parkway entrance, which leads to the children's library, was built because it was close to the New York City Subway's Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum station.[130][131] The children's library entrance is accessed through a black metal gate with the words "Children's Library" inscribed above it,[292] as well as motifs of squirrels designed by Jones.[291] Behind the gate is a small garden, as well as a doorway with green stone letters reading "Children's Library".[292] The doorway is topped by a set of windows, which is divided vertically into three sections like the other windows on the facade. There is another set of iron gates to the south, behind which the building's eastern elevation is visible. To the east of the library building is a retaining wall and a fence, behind which is Mount Prospect Park.[282]

Interior Edit

Occupying over 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2)[294] and employing 300 full-time staff members, the building serves as the administrative headquarters for the Brooklyn Public Library system.[295] The building was intended to seat 3,000 patrons at once,[137] and it could fit about one million[296][123][181] or two million books in its stacks.[137] The reading rooms were placed along the perimeter of the building,[135][136] and reflectors and concealed lighting was scattered throughout the building.[296] According to the New York Herald Tribune, the window arrangement was "planned for easy reading and avoidance of eye strain".[137] In addition, the Central Library was planned with illuminated guides to allow guests to more easily identify books.[135][136] The interior spaces were largely plain and rectangular, except for the entry foyer and circulation room.[158]

By the early 21st century, the spaces beneath the first- and second-story windows had bookshelves, while the spaces below the third-story windows had radiators.[297] Following a renovation in 2021, the building's interior was redecorated in a style approximating the original design,[280] with light terrazzo floors, blond oak, and metal accents.[266]

Lower levels Edit

Originally, there were four tiers of stacks in the basement, which had a capacity of 350,000[123][181] or 450,000 volumes.[277] The basement also contains emergency exits to Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway.[293] In the basement (designated as the lower level), near the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway,[298] is the Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center, a 189-seat auditorium that opened in 2007.[255][299] The auditorium contains two lobbies and two conference rooms.[255] Adjacent to this auditorium is the Reverend Elsie Smith Conference Room. These are accessed from the Brooklyn Community Foundation Lobby at the rear of the basement.[298]

First story Edit

 
Original interior of the library

As built, the ground story (designated as the first floor)[b] was intended to contain the building's primary spaces, including the general circulation room and a children's library.[137] The main entrance leads to a central foyer.[286][291] This foyer originally had wood wainscoting,[158] as well as green walls and a blue ceiling, intended to encourage patrons to enter the circulation room.[181] The modern foyer is a symmetrical U-shaped space with oak display cases; the ceiling is decorated in a simple style, with curving lines. There are rooms leading off the side walls of the foyer, which contain a photocopy room and security office. On either side of the foyer, a pair of marble stairs and an escalator lead up to the second floor. A passage with wood paneling leads straight to the circulation room; the walls of this passage contain plaques dedicated to individuals who were involved in the building's construction.[291] The foyer contains an Art Deco mural by John von Wicht, which was commissioned for radio station WNYC.[303][304]

The circulation room itself is three stories high,[181][305][306] covering 3,250 sq ft (302 m2).[181] As originally arranged, the room was to be surrounded by small niches separated by bookcases,[137][286] increasing the first floor's flexibility.[137] The circulating desks were in the middle of the room, surrounded by catalog desks.[293] Plaster and wood was used throughout the circulation room;[158] this design was largely retained through the 21st century.[59][307] The rear wall contains a counter. Hallways with oak paneling lead off each end of the circulating room; the entrances to these hallways are flanked by fluted pilasters, and there is a clock above the portal to each hallway.[305] Catalog cases were placed on the rear wall of the circulation room[308] until their removal in the 1990s.[212] Within the main lobby is the Major Owens Welcome Center, named after former U.S. Congressman Major Owens who worked as a BPL librarian early in his career.[280][266]

The Eastern Parkway wing was a children's library from the outset.[123][309] A parents' balcony overlooked the space,[277] and a set of bookcases separated the children's library from a "senior reading room".[309] As of 2023, the Eastern Parkway side still contains the Youth Wing, accessed from the eastern entrance on Eastern Parkway.[298] The Flatbush Avenue wing of the first floor originally contained a reading room measuring 180 by 40 ft (55 by 12 m).[123] The Flatbush Avenue wing contains the language and literature collection as of 2023.[298] The Central Library's Civic Commons is a 10,000-foot (3,000 m) space accessible from the Flatbush Avenue annex;[268] it contains offices for passport applications. IDNYC identification cards, and community groups, as well as a computer lab.[269] Adjacent to the circulating room is a 1,190-foot (360 m) gallery for "new and noteworthy" books,[268] which opened in 2021 and contains a metal sculpture on its ceiling.[269]

Originally, there was a reading room for "popular books" just behind the circulating room.[308] The rear of the first floor originally contained a reading room adjacent to a small garden. After the room was enlarged in the 1960s, it became a periodicals and micromaterials department, with a staircase ascending to the second story.[305] The rooms in the rear were then converted into the Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons,[298] which opened in January 2013.[261][310] The Info Commons spans 5,500 sq ft (510 m2) and was largely inspired by the design of Apple Stores, as well as that of the Bobst Library research center on the campus of New York University.[262] It contains a recording studio, a classroom for remote learning, seven meeting rooms, 25 desktop computers, and seating for patrons with laptops.[261]

Second story Edit

The second story contains a curving balcony at its eastern or rear end.[181][305][306] The stairs and escalators from the first-floor foyer lead to landings at the northern and southwestern ends of the balcony.[305] There is a metal railing at the front of the balcony, as well as doorways to various rooms, with display cases between each doorway.[305] This balcony was originally illuminated by a wall of 1,000 glass blocks.[181] Set within this glass-block wall are four curved pillars, each made of opaque glass.[305] The reading rooms on the rear, or southeast, end of the second floor date from 1956.[305]

As of 2023, the Eastern Parkway wing of the second floor contains the Business and Career Center, as well as history, religion, and biography collections.[298][305] The Business and Career Center contains an open plan workspace with numerous wooden chairs and tables, along with two seminar rooms, four meeting rooms, and seven niches for conversation.[269] The Flatbush Avenue wing contains the sciences, society, and technology collections.[298][305] The popular library, balcony conference room, and adult learning center are located in the rear of the building between the two wings.[298]

Third and fourth stories Edit

The top two floors were intended as administrative offices and an employee cafeteria.[169] The third floor is accessed by stairs and an elevator from the second-story balcony's southwestern end.[305] At this level, a balcony with full-height glass walls crosses above the northwestern corner of the building,[59][305] serving as a clerestory.[306][293] On the opposite side of the third story, between the Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway wings, is a trustees' room with oak paneling.[305][311] Next to it were a staff room and a librarian's office, connected to the trustees' room by a glass-enclosed passage.[293] The rooms' wood wainscoting and plaster ceilings and walls contrasted with their glass-and-chromium windows, creating a modern design.[311] As of 2023, the Flatbush Avenue wing of the third story contains a computer room and art and music collections, in addition to the trustees' room. The rest of the third story contains administrative offices.[298][305]

The fourth story was planned to contain a staff dining room and lounge, as well as various other rooms and a portion of the upper stacks.[130][131] The upper two stories could be accessed by five elevators.[293]

Almirall's unbuilt design Edit

Almirall had originally planned the building as the focal point of Grand Army Plaza, surpassing the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch in prominence.[312] The structure would have required a quadrilateral site measuring 70 ft (21 m) along Grand Army Plaza to the west, 498 ft (152 m) along Flatbush Avenue to the southwest, 486 ft (148 m) to the east, and 332 ft (101 m) along Eastern Parkway to the north.[57][42] According to the Brooklyn Times Union, the site's unusual shape allowed for "freer handling of the detail" on the facade.[313] Although the entire site covered 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2), there were to be six light courts with a combined area of 13,000 sq ft (1,200 m2).[314][315] The facade would have been made mostly of limestone, with a granite base. The central pavilion would have had curved corners and three openings.[50][300] There would have been several 69-foot-high (21 m) Doric columns on the central pavilion,[62] while the side elevations would have contained Doric columns.[50][300] There would have been a grand dome above the structure,[50][300][316] measuring 150 ft (46 m) high.[315][62]

The interior of the building would have had a total floor area of 270,000 sq ft (25,000 m2).[314][315] The longer Flatbush Avenue wing would have had the public rooms, while the shorter Eastern Parkway wing would have been used as offices.[314][315] Each wing would have contained a central hall on each floor, with study rooms, reference rooms, and offices leading off either side.[314] The front of each wing would have been devoted to public-facing rooms.[54][314] Stacks would have been placed at the rear of each wing, facing Underhill Avenue;[54] they would have been illuminated by apertures on the facade.[314] The building would have contained a steel superstructure.[50][301] The structure was originally planned with space for 1.5 million books, which was later increased to 2.5 million;[313] by 1927, the building was planned to house 3.15 million books.[62] Almirall decided upon the dimensions of the building's rooms after touring other libraries.[313]

From Grand Army Plaza would have been a large lobby and a wide stairway[50][195] leading to the second story.[50] The sub-basement would have contained the building's mechanical systems, while the basement story would have contained the heating plant, printing plant, storage rooms, a janitor's room, and a women's sitting room.[301][302] There was also to be an auditorium in the basement.[315][302] The ground, first, and second floors would have contained various departments.[300][301] A mezzanine above the second story would have had staff rooms and dining rooms.[313] Other stories would have contained special departments, rare books, study rooms, and club rooms.[300][301]

Collections Edit

The Brooklyn Central Library contains over 1.7 million materials in its collection.[317] Among the original objects in the Central Library's collection was a copy of a French Imperial Old Testament, one of twenty known to exist.[318] The original collection also included thousands of records by the federal government of the United States,[174] as well as 20,000 letters, newspaper clippings, and other objects relating to World War I history.[319]

Historically, the Central Library housed the BPL's Brooklyn collection. The collection contained of media relating to Brooklyn's history, including photos, books, and a full archive of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.[320] After the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) merged with the BPL in 2020 to form the Center for Brooklyn History, the Brooklyn collection was relocated to the BHS's building in Brooklyn Heights.[321][322]

Events Edit

The Brooklyn Central Library has hosted numerous events throughout its existence and is visited by over 1.3 million people per year as of 2021.[266] In its early years, the Central Library's exhibits included a showcase of books written by children[323] and an exhibit of foreign-born Americans' inventions.[324] By the 2000s, the building was hosting several art exhibits per year.[325]

Modern events at the building have included the People's Ball, an annual fashion show that was first held in 2018.[326] The New York Times and Time Out magazine have characterized the People's Ball as a free version of the Met Gala.[327][328] In addition, as part of the Cinema Ephemera program, the BPL sometimes displays videos, films, images, and slideshows are sometimes displayed on the Central Library's main entrance facade at night.[329] The Dweck Center in the Central Branch's basement has also hosted events such as fundraisers and parties since it opened in 2007.[255] As of 2011, the Dweck Center hosted over 100 events monthly, including many for children.[330]

Critical reception Edit

Almirall's design Edit

When construction on Almirall's original building began in 1912, Building Age magazine wrote: "The new structure will be as complete in details of construction and convenience as it is possible to make it."[302] By 1933, the BPL saw the never-completed original design as obsolete. Brooklyn's chief librarian Milton J. Ferguson said at the time: "The result of all the elaborate art of the building will be dark reading rooms, book shelves hard to reach, anything but what a modern library should be."[331] Christopher Gray wrote for the The New York Times in 2004 that Almirall's design had been "a superrich version of Grand Central Terminal's Beaux-Arts sundae but with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry."[59]

Current structure Edit

After Githens and Keally's design was announced, Milton J. Ferguson said that, when the structure was completed, "it should serve as a model for the entire country".[332] When the building opened, The Brooklyn Citizen wrote: "The new library to all appearances seems to be a structure of great utilitarian value and architectural beauty".[333] Although architectural critic Lewis Mumford regarded the stacks as mediocre, he thought the main lobby area was "unexpectedly exhilarating" and "the most vital point of the whole design".[59][334]

The BPL's chief librarian during the 1950s, Francis R. St. John, described the Central Library as "the best example of library architecture in America".[209] Although Christopher Gray of The New York Times wrote in 2004 that the building was an "impressive, Moderne-style, wedge-shaped structure", he said its "impressive site is in fact one of its biggest disadvantages" because of the high amounts of traffic on Grand Army Plaza.[59] The New York Times wrote in 2018: "The Art Deco-ish front entrance recalls the spine, the two huge wings the front and back covers."[196] In the 1987 book New York 1930, Robert A. M. Stern and his co-authors wrote that the building's interior spaces were "proof positive that Modernism and monumentality were not mutually exclusive".[335]

In 1996, Stern listed the Brooklyn Central Library in his article "A Preservationist's List of 35 Modern Landmarks-in-Waiting".[336] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Central Library as a New York City landmark in June 1997,[337] and the Central Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1]

See also Edit

References Edit

Notes Edit

  1. ^ According to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, the Central Library was the only library in Brooklyn to open in the 25 years after the borough's last Carnegie library was built.[184] The last Carnegie library, the Washington Irving Library, opened in 1923.[185]
  2. ^ The current design dates to Githens and Keally's plan, where the ground story is labeled as the first floor. In Almirall's unbuilt plan, the first floor was the story directly above the ground level.[300][301][302]

Citations Edit

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 5; National Park Service 2002, p. 3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f National Park Service 2002, p. 3.
  4. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 2; National Park Service 2002, p. 8.
  5. ^ a b Lancaster, Clay (1972). Prospect Park Handbook (2nd ed.). New York: Long Island University Press. ISBN 978-0-913252-06-2. from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Bluestone, Daniel M. (1987). "From Promenade to Park: The Gregarious Origins of Brooklyn's Park Movement". American Quarterly. JSTOR. 39 (4): 529–550. doi:10.2307/2713123. ISSN 0003-0678. JSTOR 2713123.
  7. ^ "Prospect Park; Progress of the Work—Descriptive Particulars". The New York Times. December 15, 1868. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  8. ^ Annual reports of the Brooklyn Park Commissioners, 1861–1873. Brooklyn Park Commissioners. 1873. p. 127. Retrieved January 28, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 2; National Park Service 2002, p. 9.
  10. ^ a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 3.
  11. ^ a b c d "$750,000 Is Voted to Finish Wing of Central Library". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 3, 1926. p. 2. from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "LaGuardia Asks $5,000,000 Grant for Boro Library". Times Union. September 12, 1935. p. 1. from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  13. ^ New York Library Club; Cole, G.W.; Nelson, C.A.; Bostwick, A.E. (1902). Libraries of Greater New York: Manual and Historical Sketch of the New York Library Club. p. 15. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997, p. 2.
  15. ^ Brooklyn Public Library (1904). Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Public Library. The Library. p. 12. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  16. ^ "Brooklyn Carnegie Libraries: Bedford Branch-Photos". HDC. May 8, 2013. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Library's Plans Comprehensive". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 30, 1900. p. 9. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  18. ^ "Big Central Library Proposed for Brooklyn". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 21, 1900. p. 6. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  19. ^ "Central Library Building Wanted". The Brooklyn Citizen. March 21, 1900. p. 10. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Won't Change Its Name to Suit Public Library". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 28, 1900. p. 6. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  21. ^ "Mrs. Craigie's Fate Is Still in Doubt". Times Union. May 16, 1900. p. 2. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  22. ^ "John W. Devoy Lectures". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 8, 1910. p. 18. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  23. ^ "Work on Library Contract Is Progressing Rapidly". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 19, 1901. p. 16. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "News About Carnegie". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 10, 1901. p. 2. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "Big Library for Brooklyn". The New York Times. September 12, 1901. p. 3. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  26. ^ "Snow As An Individual". Times Union. January 22, 1902. p. 11. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  27. ^ "More Books for the Public". New-York Tribune. February 7, 1902. p. 5. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  28. ^ "Brooklyn Library for City: Trustees to Turn Over Property and Books, Valued at $750,000 to Be a Part of Public System Provided by Mr. Carnegie—Conditions to Be Fulfilled". New-York Tribune. February 6, 1902. p. 7. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 571079155.
  29. ^ "Central Library Home for Brooklyn System". The Brooklyn Citizen. June 17, 1903. p. 8. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  30. ^ "Will Surely Oppose Central Library Plan". Times Union. February 27, 1904. p. 3. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  31. ^ "Public Library's New Civil Service Scheme". Times Union. May 18, 1904. p. 2. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  32. ^ "Library for the Blind Will Soon Be Erected". The Brooklyn Citizen. May 18, 1904. p. 7. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  33. ^ "Approves Library Site". The Brooklyn Citizen. May 2, 1905. p. 3. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  34. ^ "Mayor Honors Controller Grout". New-York Tribune. May 7, 1905. p. 9. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  35. ^ a b c "Mayor Signs Site Bill; Sends Gold Pen to Grout". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 6, 1905. p. 2. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  36. ^ "The Library Site". Times Union. May 2, 1905. p. 6. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  37. ^ "Library Site Hearing; Grout Faces McKeen". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 1, 1905. p. 3. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  38. ^ "Architects Favor Plaza Site for Public Library". The Brooklyn Citizen. November 29, 1905. p. 2. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  39. ^ "Park Plaza a Good Site for Library Building". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 29, 1905. p. 3. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  40. ^ "Library Will Be at Park Plaza". The Standard Union. December 16, 1905. p. 9. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  41. ^ "Committee Selects Site for the Central Library". The Brooklyn Citizen. December 16, 1905. p. 2. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
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  43. ^ "Coler Gets Money for His New Sub-surface Bureau". The Standard Union. May 25, 1906. p. 1. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  44. ^ "Central Library Building". Times Union. May 24, 1906. p. 4. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  45. ^ Spellen, Suzanne (July 25, 2022). "A Library for All: The Story of Brooklyn's Central Library, Decades in the Making". Brownstoner. from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  46. ^ "R. F. Almirall Is Chosen to Design Library Bldg". The Brooklyn Citizen. July 20, 1906. p. 3. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  47. ^ "Puzzle Over the European Trip". The Standard Union. July 31, 1906. p. 11. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  48. ^ "Is Library Trip Off?". Times Union. July 31, 1906. p. 1. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  49. ^ "Library Trustees Get Many Reports". The Standard Union. October 17, 1906. p. 12. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h "Plans for New Library Are Submitted to Board". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 18, 1907. p. 2. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  51. ^ "Postpone Approval of Library Plans". Times Union. October 16, 1907. p. 2. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  52. ^ "Moved to Reconsider Central Library Site". The Brooklyn Citizen. October 16, 1907. p. 10. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
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  55. ^ "Library Plans Approved". Times Union. December 23, 1907. p. 2. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  56. ^ "To Ask Appropriation for Central Library". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 20, 1909. p. 10. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  57. ^ a b "Plan for Central Library in Brooklyn". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 30, 1909. p. 21. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  58. ^ a b "Undermining the Brooklyn Library". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 14, 1911. p. 4. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  59. ^ a b c d e f g h Gray, Christopher (July 25, 2004). "Streetscapes/Brooklyn Public Library; A Living Monument To the Power of the Word". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  60. ^ "Fusion City Government Patchwork, Says Boody". The Brooklyn Citizen. November 14, 1915. p. 3. from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
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  62. ^ a b c d e f g "Brooklyn Seeks Action on Fund For New Library: Estimate Board Expected to Vote Soon 011 $1,500,000 Item for Foundations". New York Herald Tribune. May 6, 1928. p. A3. ISSN 1941-0646. ProQuest 1113374981.
  63. ^ "Site for the Brooklyn Library". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 21, 1912. p. 14. from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
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September 01, 2023
central, library, brooklyn, public, library, central, library, originally, ingersoll, memorial, library, main, branch, brooklyn, public, library, brooklyn, york, city, located, grand, army, plaza, corner, flatbush, avenue, eastern, parkway, contains, over, mil. The Central Library originally the Ingersoll Memorial Library is the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in Brooklyn New York City Located on Grand Army Plaza at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway it contains over 1 7 million materials in its collection and has a million annual visitors The current structure was designed by the partnership of Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally in the Art Deco style replacing a never completed Beaux Arts structure designed by Raymond Almirall The building is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places Brooklyn Public Library Central BuildingU S National Register of Historic PlacesNew York City Landmark No 1963Seen in July 2021 with Black Lives Matter sign in entrywayLocationGrand Army PlazaBrooklyn New York CityCoordinates40 40 21 N 73 58 06 W 40 67250 N 73 96833 W 40 67250 73 96833Area2 8 acres 1 1 ha Built1911 1940ArchitectRaymond F Almirall 1911 Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally 1935 SculptorThomas Hudson Jones and C Paul Jennewein bronze gateway Architectural styleBeaux Arts and Art ModerneNRHP reference No 01001446 1 NYCL No 1963Significant datesAdded to NRHPJanuary 11 2002Designated NYCLJune 17 1997The site of the library was selected in 1905 but groundbreaking for the Brooklyn Central Library did not begin until 1912 Escalating costs and political infighting slowed construction throughout the next two decades and only the Flatbush Avenue wing of Almirall s building was ever completed In 1935 Githens and Keally were commissioned to redesign the building in the Art Deco style construction recommenced in 1938 and Almirall s building on Flatbush Avenue was largely demolished The Central Library opened to the public on February 1 1941 and its second floor opened in the mid 1950s The structure was significantly renovated in the 1970s 2000s and 2020s The Central Library is a four story building that resembles an open book as viewed from the air The modern facade is made of limestone and contains relatively little ornamentation except around the main entrance on Grand Army Plaza The main entrance facade accessed by a raised terrace is curved and contains various inscriptions in addition to tall gilded columns by C Paul Jennewein and a screen by Thomas Hudson Jones The Flatbush Avenue wing to the southeast is longer than the Eastern Parkway wing to the east both wings contain decorative windows and additional entrances The library s 350 000 square foot 33 000 m2 interior is centered around a triple height circulation room There are various reading rooms on the first through third stories as well as an auditorium beneath the main entrance terrace Contents 1 Site 2 Development 2 1 Planning 2 1 1 Site selection 2 1 2 Approval of Almirall s plans 2 2 Construction of original building 2 2 1 Initial progress and work stoppage 2 2 2 Attempts to complete the building 3 Current library 3 1 Redesign and completion 3 2 Opening 1940s and 1950s 3 3 1960s and 1970s 3 4 1980s and 1990s 3 5 2000s to present 4 Architecture 4 1 Form and facade 4 1 1 Main entrance 4 1 2 Wings 4 2 Interior 4 2 1 Lower levels 4 2 2 First story 4 2 3 Second story 4 2 4 Third and fourth stories 4 3 Almirall s unbuilt design 5 Collections 6 Events 7 Critical reception 7 1 Almirall s design 7 2 Current structure 8 See also 9 References 9 1 Notes 9 2 Citations 9 3 Sources 10 External linksSite EditThe Brooklyn Central Library is in the central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn on the border of the Park Slope Prospect Heights and Crown Heights neighborhoods It is located on a roughly triangular site facing Eastern Parkway to the north Grand Army Plaza to the northwest and Flatbush Avenue to the southwest 2 The site has dimensions of 610 feet 190 m on Flatbush Avenue 581 ft 177 m to the east and 416 ft 127 m on Eastern Parkway 3 The main entrance at the northeast corner of the building is recessed behind a raised terrace 2 The Central Library s main entrance faces the Soldiers and Sailors Arch within Grand Army Plaza the primary gateway to Prospect Park to the west The building shares a large city block with Mount Prospect Park the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Brooklyn Museum to the east and southeast 3 The library building is part of a larger land lot along the eastern side of Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Empire Boulevard The then independent city of Brooklyn had acquired this land in the 1860 for the creation of modern day Prospect Park 4 Egbert Viele s first proposal for Prospect Park in 1861 called for the park to straddle Flatbush Avenue 5 6 Land acquisition began in 1860 5 but the onset of the American Civil War delayed further development of the park 6 following the war the land to the east of Flatbush Avenue was excluded from the park 7 8 The Mount Prospect site went unused until the late 1880s when a library was proposed for a portion of the site 9 Mount Prospect Park the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden occupied the remainder of the site 10 Development EditAs early as April 1889 Brooklyn s park commissioners had recommended constructing a Brooklyn central library near Grand Army Plaza just outside Prospect Park 11 12 The Brooklyn Public Library system was approved by an Act of Legislature of the State of New York on May 3 1892 13 14 The BPL opened its first branch library the Bedford Library at PS 3 in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn in December 1897 14 15 this branch moved among various buildings including a former mansion at 26 Brevoort Place 16 Although the formerly independent city of Brooklyn became part of the City of Greater New York in 1898 the BPL declined to merge with the New York Public Library NYPL 9 In the long run the BPL wanted to build a central library and a series of branch libraries throughout the borough of Brooklyn 17 Planning Edit Site selection Edit By March 1900 the BPL s directors were planning to construct a central library in Brooklyn 18 19 the New York State Legislature had provided 500 000 equivalent to 17 6 million in 2022 for the construction of such a structure 20 That May the BPL s board voted to recommend that the central library be built along Eastern Parkway as close as possible to Grand Army Plaza 21 Andrew Carnegie donated 1 6 million equivalent to 56 3 million in 2022 to BPL for the construction of 20 Carnegie branch libraries in 1901 10 22 but the New York City government would only appropriate money for a central library after funding for the branch libraries had been secured 23 Carnegie also considered funding the central library under the condition that the BPL the private Brooklyn Library and the Long Island Historical Society combined their collections 24 25 At the time several sites for a central library building were being considered including a plot at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Herkimer Street in Bedford Stuyvesant 26 The Brooklyn Library merged its sizable reference collection with that of the BPL in 1902 10 27 but the Long Island Historical Society refused to merge with the other two libraries 28 Although BPL president David A Boody urged the creation of a central library for Brooklyn 29 the trustees wished to first build several of the 20 Carnegie branches 30 By mid 1904 a committee had been created to identify and recommend sites for the Brooklyn Central Library 31 32 After a year of consultations consulting architect A D F Hamlin recommended in May 1905 that the central library be constructed at Grand Army Plaza 33 mayor George B McClellan Jr authorized the selection of that site shortly afterward 34 35 Various persons opposed the site for its small size irregular shape and distance from Downtown Brooklyn 35 New York City s parks commissioner wanted the plaza site to be used as parkland 35 and the director of the Brooklyn Museum wanted the site for future expansion of the museum 36 37 At McClellan s request Carrere and Hastings the architects of the NYPL s main branch determined in November 1905 that Grand Army Plaza was a suitable site for a central library 38 39 The next month the BPL s site selection committee ratified the selection of the Plaza site 40 41 The plaza was already well served by public transit and there were plans to extend the New York City Subway to the area 42 Approval of Almirall s plans Edit nbsp The entrance facing Grand Army PlazaThe Board of Estimate allotted 25 000 equivalent to 814 300 in 2022 in May 1906 for the preparation of plans for the central library 43 44 Local architect Raymond F Almirall who had designed three Carnegie libraries in Brooklyn 45 was hired that July to design the Brooklyn Central Library 46 Almirall Hamlin and BPL chief librarian Frank Hill went to Europe 47 48 analyzing two dozen buildings in various cities 10 They wrote a lengthy report later the same year 10 which was presented to the BPL s trustees in October 1906 49 Almirall had submitted plans for a 3 25 million equivalent to 102 1 million in 2022 central library to the BPL s directors by September 1907 50 The directors postponed a decision on these plans citing uncertainty over the plaza site 51 52 before conditionally approving them that November 53 The Municipal Art Commission also approved the plans in December 1907 54 55 The BPL had begun accepting bids to construct the new library and requested 300 000 from the Board of Estimate in January 1909 at which point the building s estimated cost was as high as 5 million equivalent to 162 9 million in 2022 56 Later that year Boody asked the city government to issue bonds for the project 57 The Board of Estimate appropriated 300 000 for the library building in 1910 and promised to give 530 000 in each of the two following fiscal years 58 By the time the NYPL had completed its main branch in 1911 the BPL had not even started its own central library 59 even though the Brooklyn Central Library had been planned before the NYPL Main Branch 60 Work on the Brooklyn Central Library was supposed to begin that June 42 but the Board of Estimate refused to grant an appropriation for the building the next month 58 61 Test borings for the site commenced in July 1911 62 and plans for the Flatbush Avenue wing were filed with the Bureau of Buildings in January 1912 63 Construction of original building Edit Construction of the Brooklyn Central Library s first section spanned multiple mayoral administrations with varying levels of interest in completing the building 64 The Brooklyn Central Library s groundbreaking ceremony occurred on June 5 1912 with mayor William Jay Gaynor in attendance 65 66 A contract for the foundations was awarded the same month 62 Initial progress and work stoppage Edit Engineers surveying the site found in early 1912 that the site had large amounts of peat moss 67 68 and that the building needed deep foundations because of its proximity to the Mount Prospect Reservoir 69 Early the following year the BPL requested 20 000 equivalent to 592 200 in 2022 for books for the Central Library 70 71 Workers were also busy excavating the building s foundations 72 but foundation contractor Charles Meads reported that the work was several months behind schedule because of inclement weather loose ground and a lack of funding 73 Although the foundation had been completed by early 1914 there was not enough money for the rest of the structure and the city and the foundation contractor had become involved in a lawsuit over cracks in the foundation 74 Gaynor s successor John Purroy Mitchel felt that funds for the Central Library would be better spent on schools and other projects 64 City aldermen appropriated 210 000 for the construction of the building s Flatbush Avenue wing in December 1915 Local newspapers reported that if the wing were not constructed the foundation would deteriorate 75 76 Plans for the basement and first story of the Flatbush Avenue wing were filed with the Bureau of Buildings in March 1916 at which point the wing was expected to cost 600 000 77 78 Brooklyn s borough president filed revised plans for the wing that September 79 80 and the BPL began receiving bids for the library building s construction 81 Brooklyn s borough president rejected all the bids in December 1916 for being too expensive 82 83 the same month an additional 56 000 was appropriated for the project 84 Work on the Flatbush Avenue wing began in March 1917 62 Although contractor Thomas Dwyer had only just started erecting the basement and first floor by the beginning of 1919 the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said about 724 000 had been spent on the building to date 85 while city officials gave a different figure of 412 000 86 According to the city Almirall had received 129 000 in architects fees through the end of 1919 despite the minimal progress on the building 86 87 Local residents wanted the building s development to be accelerated as many volumes in the BPL s collection were being damaged or were inaccessible 88 No construction occurred from 1918 to 1925 while John Francis Hylan was mayor of New York City 11 Borough president Edward J Riegelmann requested another 1 million equivalent to 16 4 million in 2022 from the city in 1921 89 and city officials agreed to an additional appropriation that May after touring the still incomplete edifice 90 The same year a fence was erected around the site 62 Governor Nathan L Miller signed legislation in April 1922 authorizing officials to raise money for the building s completion Afterward Riegelmann asked the Board of Estimate for permission to raise 11 million in bonds for the Central Library 91 Because Hylan opposed further funding for the building 92 the Board of Estimate notified Riegelmann in July 1923 that it would not provide further funding for the Central Library unless the plans were scaled down 93 Hylan s refusal to fund the Central Library became a point of contention in the 1925 New York City mayoral election where Hylan s opponents claimed that he had doubled the city s budget without providing anything for the library building 94 95 Only one story of one wing had been completed and was covered with a temporary roof 96 Attempts to complete the building Edit After Jimmy Walker succeeded Hylan as mayor at the beginning of 1926 his comptroller Charles W Berry expressed support for completing the Central Library 97 The Board of Estimate indicated in April 1926 that it would provide 750 000 equivalent to 12 4 million in 2022 for the Central Library 98 99 and it approved the appropriation that June 11 By then the building was planned to cost 14 million to 15 million equivalent to 231 million to 248 million in 2022 11 City experts recommended that as a money saving measure the expensive Tennessee marble facade of the first story be replaced with cheaper limestone or Missouri marble 100 Despite Brooklyn officials desire to resume work as soon as possible the city did not award a contract for a year after receiving the appropriation 101 The city hired the Thomas J Waters Company in August 1927 to complete the building 102 103 and work finally resumed that October 104 The Waters Company demolished the existing Tennessee marble facade 104 105 which was expected to reduce total construction costs by 2 million 106 Afterward the company planned to construct a three story wing measuring 285 by 60 ft 87 by 18 m across 104 The Board of Estimate voted in November 1928 to authorize the issuance of up to 1 25 million in stock for the Central Library s completion 107 108 and Brooklyn officials began soliciting bids for the building s completion 109 City officials agreed in July 1929 to demolish a water tower in Mount Prospect Park which abutted a portion of the building s foundation that had to be rebuilt 110 but the water tower was not razed until six months later 111 By the end of 1929 city engineer William P Hennessy was preparing plans for the construction of the building s Eastern Parkway wing rear wing and central portion 112 113 A groundbreaking ceremony for these three sections occurred on January 6 1930 114 Contractors were obligated to complete the foundations for these three structures within 250 days 115 By early 1931 Brooklyn borough president Henry Hesterberg was requesting another 9 million 116 117 or 9 5 million from the Board of Estimate 118 Although the board had previously been reluctant to give the Central Library such a large appropriation Hesterberg said the city could reduce the total construction cost by funding the entirety of the project at once 118 Work stalled once again in 1931 after the foundations were finished 119 On rainy days the foundations of the Eastern Parkway wing were inundated and local children often played with model boats there 120 121 at one point a boy reportedly drowned in the foundations 121 By 1932 the BPL s directors were calling the Central Library a monument to municipal procrastination 122 The site was also referred to as the Pigeon Palace 123 the Pigeon Roost 119 the Roman Ruins of Brooklyn 123 and a hideous old wreck 124 The system s circulation had more than doubled compared to 1912 when the Central Library s construction had started while the number of patrons had nearly doubled 122 Hesterberg requested in early 1932 that the city pay Almirall 258 000 in architect s fees 125 At the same time the city s board of aldermen notified the BPL that the city government did not have enough funding to cover the Central Library s full cost 126 The BPL unsuccessfully attempted to obtain funding for the library in 1931 and 1933 124 Current library EditIn late 1933 local businessmen asked the city government to request a 9 million equivalent to 203 5 million in 2022 loan from the Public Works Administration PWA 127 128 After more than a year the city voted in April 1935 to request 5 million equivalent to 106 7 million in 2022 from the PWA 129 Brooklyn borough president Raymond Ingersoll announced the next month that Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally had redesigned the building most of the main public rooms were relocated to the ground story while offices and backroom operations were relocated to the upper stories 130 131 Ingersoll promised that September to finish the Central Library 132 Mayor Fiorello La Guardia officially requested the funding from the PWA the same month 12 but the PWA had still not approved the loan by the end of that year 133 134 Githens and Keally completed their preliminary designs in February 1936 135 136 The original Beaux Arts design was completely scrapped in favor of an Art Deco design and the building was redesigned with a fan shaped plan 137 Redesign and completion Edit Local leaders formed a committee in February 1936 to advocate for the building s completion 135 136 Supporters of the Central Library said the BPL s existing central library was suitable for a city with 50 000 residents two percent of Brooklyn s population at the time 138 Between April and June 1936 about 200 000 people signed a petition asking PWA secretary Harold L Ickes to approve money for the building 139 By then Ingersoll described the Central Library as the highest priority needed improvement in Brooklyn 116 Parks commissioner Robert Moses drew up revised plans for the Central Library La Guardia sent these plans to the BPL in August 1936 140 141 Ingersoll requested 2 million from the Board of Estimate in January 1937 119 142 and the board approved the funding two months later 143 144 The board also approved 20 000 for a modification of the plans that May 145 it would approve the remaining funds once the plans had been revised 146 Draftsmen quickly began revising the plans 147 and the Board of Estimate appropriated 1 883 million for the project that November 148 149 Ingersoll began soliciting bids for the Central Library s construction in December 1937 150 151 Shortly thereafter the Cauldwell Wingate Company received the 1 3 million general contract for the project and four other companies were awarded contracts for mechanical work 152 153 Work began on February 14 1938 with the demolition of the existing fourth story 154 155 and removal of the original decorations 156 157 To save money the existing frame was retained 157 158 The Board of Estimate approved 30 000 for sculptures on the Central Library in April 1938 159 and Thomas Hudson Jones and C Paul Jennewein were hired to design the sculptures which the Municipal Art Commission approved the same year 160 161 In June 1938 the PWA authorized 2 5 million for the Central Library 162 163 only the first story was to be fitted out initially 137 The building was nearly completed in August 1939 several months ahead of schedule 164 but the city had not appropriated funding for salaries 165 The city issued 200 000 in bonds that August to fund further construction 166 and the Board of Estimate provided another 101 000 two months later for equipment 167 168 La Guardia toured the Central Library in December 1939 169 170 by which time administrative staff had begun moving into the third floor 170 171 Because the second floor had not been furnished the BPL s extension department was forced to work in the building s garage 171 172 The BPL began moving books into the Central Branch in early 1940 173 174 and the Central Library had 360 000 books in its stacks by that October 175 That month BPL chief librarian Milton J Ferguson requested another 300 000 to complete the second floor 175 176 and the Board of Estimate agreed to provide 500 000 shortly afterward 177 The BPL also announced plans to spend 1 500 on inscribed capstones memorializing Ingersoll who had died the same year 178 179 Upon its opening the building had 170 employees excluding WPA workers 180 and it contained 460 000 books in its collection 173 Opening 1940s and 1950s Edit nbsp View of the library when it openedThe Central Library opened for public previews on February 1 1941 as the Ingersoll Memorial Library 181 182 the library building opened for limited service two days later 183 It was the first permanent library building to be opened in Brooklyn in nearly two decades 184 a Because the basement and second story were largely unfinished some of the offices were housed within the reading room and within a completed portion of the second story 123 Within two weeks of the building s opening so many patrons had borrowed books that the BPL limited the number of books that cardholders could borrow 186 187 furthermore the building could only operate for four to seven hours per day due to staff shortages 188 The Central Library was formally dedicated on March 29 1941 189 and the Ingersoll memorial capstones were dedicated in September 1941 190 191 The children s library and three departments of the Central Library opened at the beginning of October 1941 192 193 By then the library building was handling 400 000 volumes prompting Ferguson to ask for money to expand the stacks 194 The opening of the Central Library meant that the BPL no longer had to rent space for its administrative offices 195 Consequently when the building was completed about two thirds of the interior was used for administrative purposes 196 With the Central Library s opening the BPL could also take many of its books out of storage 195 By the beginning of 1942 the Central Library was operating eleven hours a day on weekdays 197 198 The Central Library opened a consumers corner with books about consumption of goods in early 1942 199 and it began lending phonograph records to BPL cardholders the same year 200 In October 1942 the BPL formally dedicated the bas reliefs that Jennewein had carved into the main entrance s columns 201 202 By late 1946 BPL officials believed that the building s second floor needed to be completed to accommodate the borough s growing population 203 At the time the second floor did not have any flooring lighting or radiators and there was exposed wiring 204 The BPL s trustees asked the City Planning Commission in 1948 for 1 385 million to complete the second floor 204 205 of this 385 000 would come from the city s 1949 and 1950 budgets 206 The still incomplete second floor was used for an exhibit in 1951 207 New York City public works commissioner Frederick H Zurmuhlen requested in April 1952 that the Board of Estimate approve 900 000 for the fitting out of the Central Library s second floor 208 By then the Central Library had a total annual circulation of 1 021 million about one seventh of the BPL system s total circulation 209 The New York Times wrote that library patrons often stood in the main circulating room while the second floor was being used as storage space 121 The Board of Estimate appropriated 900 000 for the second floor in August 1952 at which point increasing material costs had caused the project s price to rise to 1 125 million 121 Three of the ground story reading rooms would be relocated to the second story 120 The building s basement would contain new workshop space and a pneumatic tube system would be installed throughout the building The project would increase the Central Library s usable space from 60 224 to 102 000 square feet 5 595 0 to 9 476 1 m2 209 The New York City Department of Public Works began soliciting bids for three construction contracts in September 1952 121 209 and the city awarded 1 million in contracts for the project at the end of that year 120 210 Work on the Central Library was delayed by a strike in mid 1953 211 but the second story was completed in 1955 212 The BPL installed a flagpole outside the Eastern Parkway wing of the building in 1959 213 1960s and 1970s Edit In 1960 the BPL s chief librarian Francis R St John requested money to rehabilitate the Central Library 214 215 but the Board of Estimate was willing to provide only 30 000 out of the requested 2 5 million 216 St John asked the city for another 115 000 in 1961 217 though he said the next year that the project would cost 3 235 million 218 The first and second floors were extended to the rear in 1964 concealing the rear facade 212 219 After mayor Robert F Wagner Jr approved 2 891 million in funding for the building s expansion in April 1965 220 221 the BPL hired Keally and Frederick G Frost Jr amp Associates to design an annex to the building 222 Brooklyn borough president Abe Stark announced the same year that floodlights would be installed on the Central Library s facade 223 The BPL planned a two story annex with a garage and a service room for adults as well as several new rooms and a set of escalators in the existing building The new spaces would include a phone reference room and a book processing department on the first floor a reading room microfilm area and research cubicles on the second floor and remodeled offices and a larger cafeteria on the third floor 222 The BPL was still awaiting final approval for the renovation by 1967 224 A renovation of the Central Branch began in August 1969 225 The project lasted several years with the building remaining open throughout 226 The Central Library s biography history travel and language literature departments were moved to another part of the building in February 1971 after part of the second floor had been renovated 227 and the art music and audiovisual divisions were moved that October 225 The lobby s floor was replaced later the same year 228 The renovation was completed in July 1973 when several spaces opened on the first floor These included an expanded periodicals wing in the rear a language and literature wing on Flatbush Avenue the Ingersoll Room which had an extensive paperback collection and the children s library on Eastern Parkway 226 The renovation allowed the BPL to begin circulating books that had previously been stored in the building s stacks 229 The city government approved funding for further repairs to the Central Library in 1974 230 1980s and 1990s Edit The BPL began raising money for more improvements to the Central Library in 1982 231 and the library system announced in 1983 that it would install security cameras throughout the building 232 Five computer terminals opened at the Central Library in 1987 allowing visitors to access a catalog shared by the BPL NYPL and Queens Library 212 The BPL built two stories of administrative offices above the Central Library s garage in the early 1990s 233 The Central Library had always operated on weekdays during its first half century but budget cuts forced the BPL to close the building on Mondays in 1991 234 235 By then the library operated an adult literacy program and an education and career center and it presented film screenings and book readings to patrons 235 According to BPL director Larry Brandwein the budget cuts had also forced him to eliminate several popular programs at the Central Library such as a term paper clinic and a homework hotline 236 The main entrance screen was cleaned in 1993 237 The same year a garden themed to Alice s Adventures in Wonderland was added outside the children s library entrance 237 238 BPL officials announced in early 1996 that they would add computers with internet access to the Central Library at the time no BPL branches had internet but the NYPL and Queens Library both offered that service 239 After the computers were installed in October 1996 240 there was extremely high demand for the computers 241 A 2 300 square foot 210 m2 multilingual center with books in several languages opened at the Central Library in October 1997 242 243 The same year the card catalogs in the lobby were removed 212 By the late 1990s local youths frequented the Central Library because of the lack of after school activities at local schools this led The New York Times to describe the Central Library as a de facto day care center 244 The children s library in particular was frequently overcrowded because of the lack of a courtyard and because the computers in the room were extremely popular 245 The children s library was expanded starting in July 1999 246 and it reopened in mid 2000 as the 10 500 square foot 980 m2 Youth Wing 247 248 The renovation designed by Pasanella Klein Stolzman and Berg 248 249 cost 2 5 million 248 The room s dropped ceiling was removed allowing the restoration of the original windows in addition about 40 computers were installed in the Youth Wing 245 249 A technology loft was built on the mezzanine 248 249 The wing s main room was named for Yetta and Louis Schwartz whose daughter had donated 1 million to the BPL 248 2000s to present Edit nbsp Reconstruction of the Grand Army Plaza terrace entrance in 2005By the early 21st century most of the building s administrative functions had been moved to Queens 196 The BPL announced in 2004 that it would spend 16 million rebuilding its main terrace to designs by Vincent Benic 59 The BPL also wished to build a 200 seat auditorium underneath the terrace 250 the auditorium had been part of Almirall s original design but had never been constructed because of a lack of money 250 251 By 2005 more than 14 million had been raised for the terrace and auditorium 251 During the renovation labor unions complained that the BPL was hiring non union contractors 252 The second floor was renovated in 2006 at which point the Brooklyn Collection s reading room opened 212 The auditorium which was supposed to be completed in mid 2007 253 254 opened that October and was named for S Stevan Dweck a doctor who donated 1 5 million 255 The BPL raised 100 000 for further improvements to the Central Library during 2009 256 The Central Library s Passport Service Center opened in May 2011 making it the first library branch in New York City to issue passports 257 258 over the next two years the center processed applications for 21 000 passports 258 After philanthropist Shelby White donated 3 25 million to the Central Library in 2010 the BPL announced that it would create a research center named after White and her late husband Leon Levy 259 The Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons opened in January 2013 260 261 following a renovation designed by Toshiko Mori 262 The Info Commons was frequented by patrons who used the space for meetings research and even a wedding 262 The BPL opened an enrollment office for IDNYC cards at the Central Library in 2015 212 263 By the mid 2010s the Central Library was often filled to capacity and the structure was in poor condition 196 The New York Daily News estimated that the BPL needed to spend 67 7 million to renovate the Central Library and replace its fire alarms air conditioning roofs windows elevators and bathrooms 264 The BPL announced in 2018 that it would spend 135 million renovating the Central Library in four phases 196 265 It rehired Mori to renovate the building 266 The library was temporarily closed from March 2020 to May 2021 during the COVID 19 pandemic in New York City 267 268 The first phase of the renovation costing 38 million was completed in May 2021 and involved adding a book gallery expanding various rooms updating the bathrooms and elevators and redecorating the interior 269 270 The second part of the renovation commenced in 2022 and involved expanding the adult learning center adding a room for teenagers renovating book collection spaces and overhauling the HVAC system The BPL also planned to build a footbridge to Mount Prospect Park and rearranging storage spaces in the basement 271 Architecture EditThe original library was designed in the Beaux Arts style by Raymond F Almirall 272 Much of Almirall s original design consisting of a central pavilion on Grand Army Plaza flanked by wings on Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue was never built Had the structure been fully constructed it would have contained two basements and four above ground stories 50 54 The current Brooklyn Central Library was designed by Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally in the Art Deco style with decorations by Thomas Hudson Jones and C Paul Jennewein 273 274 Githens and Keally s design is a three story limestone structure with a pair of wings flanking the entry terrace on Grand Army Plaza 275 The building also has some Art Moderne decorative elements such as the terrazzo floors and wood wainscots in the lobby 276 Form and facade Edit In general the facade is made of Indiana limestone 277 except below the first story where the facade is made of gray granite 278 According to the National Park Service the Central Library s shape resembles an open book as viewed from the air 3 The modern facade contains relatively little ornamentation except around the main entrance on Grand Army Plaza which is decorated with literary motifs 279 There is another entrance to the Civic Commons section of the building on Flatbush Avenue 280 281 The eastern part of the site is higher than the western portion as such the main entrance is raised from the ground while the eastern part of the library building is almost precisely at ground level 157 282 The Central Library has retained most of its 1930s design over the years 283 Main entrance Edit nbsp Detail of the entrance The columns contain gilded bas reliefs by C P Jennewein and the screen contains 15 panels by Thomas H Jones At the northwest corner of the Central Library is a main entrance pavilion with a curving facade on Grand Army Plaza 275 the curved facade alludes to the plaza s elliptical shape 3 Three stairways from the north northwest and southwest ascend to a terrace just outside the main entrance Between each stairway is a small planting bed with metal fences 284 The northern edge of the terrace contains a flagpole 285 Each stairway has wrought iron railings and granite side walls The center staircase facing northwest is divided into four short flights and is flanked by a pair of lighting fixtures with three lamps 284 There are granite capstones below the lamps each of which has inscriptions from Raymond Ingersoll the borough president of Brooklyn when the building was erected 178 284 Early plans for the plaza called for a map of Brooklyn to be carved within the pavement 135 136 Another set of stairs leads up from the terrace to a brick landing which in turn leads to the actual entrance 3 The main entrance facade is four stories high flanked by side sections measuring three stories high 284 The roof of the facade s central section is 80 ft 24 m tall 286 and is topped by a pair of cubic staircase enclosures which are set back from the rest of the facade 285 The three story high sections on either side of the main entrance contain recessed windows 284 Between the windows on different stories are dark green spandrel panels which are described as being made of Virginia alvarene stone 284 286 The windows are divided into four panes at the first story while the second and third floor windows each feature one pane 285 The walls on either side of the central entrance contain inscriptions by Roscoe Conkling Ensign Brown the BPL s president during the late 1930s 284 287 At the center of the facade is a rectangular doorway flanked by 50 foot tall 15 m columns 288 289 On the columns are gilded bas reliefs designed by Jennewein 288 289 which depict both classical and contemporary figures 59 These columns support an entablature above the doorway with the inscribed name Brooklyn Public Library in all caps 284 At ground level is a revolving door flanked by double doors on either side 3 all of these doors are made of bronze 285 Above each of these doors is an inscription by Brown 284 The inscriptions in turn are topped by a 40 foot tall 12 m bronze screen designed by Jones 290 The screen is split into 15 square panels each of which are gilded and depict a literary character 279 290 The panels on the left depict the sciences while those on the right depict the arts 277 At the third story the grille contains a pair of gilded owls each of which is perched on a globe lamp with an elaborate base 290 Three lighting fixtures are recessed within the soffit at the top of the doorway 285 Wings Edit nbsp Windows on side facadesBoth wings are designed in a modern classical style 158 the Flatbush Avenue wing was built as part of Almirall s original design but was re clad during the 1930s 157 The Flatbush Avenue wing extends southeast and is longer than the Eastern Parkway wing which extends east 291 Both wings are recessed from the sidewalk and contain planted lawns in front of them with ventilation grates on the lawn facing Eastern Parkway 282 Each facade contains three story high bays of recessed windows there are 11 bays facing Eastern Parkway and 13 bays on Flatbush Avenue 292 Within each bay the windows on each story are divided vertically into a large central portion flanked by narrower panes on either side 292 There are dark green spandrels above the first and second story windows each of which contain classical motifs quotes star shapes and borders with checkerboard patterns 292 Immediately adjacent to the curved main entrance facade the Flatbush Avenue elevation of the facade contains a cornerstone with the inscription 1938 282 There is a stairway immediately to the right descending to a service entrance with two bronze doors 292 293 The southern end of the Flatbush Avenue wing contains a three story annex which curves northward to the parking lot at the rear of the building The first story of this annex is clad in limestone and dates to the building s reconstruction in 1940 The upper two stories are clad in concrete and were built in 1990 292 There are literary motifs and classical decorations on the upper two stories 282 as well as single pane windows 291 The eastern elevation of the Flatbush Avenue annex contains a service entrance 282 293 On Eastern Parkway adjacent to the main entrance a ramp leads to a staff entrance to the basement 292 293 The staff entrance contains bronze doors similar to those on Flatbush Avenue A secondary wheelchair accessible public entrance is at the eastern end of the Eastern Parkway wing 292 The easternmost Eastern Parkway entrance which leads to the children s library was built because it was close to the New York City Subway s Eastern Parkway Brooklyn Museum station 130 131 The children s library entrance is accessed through a black metal gate with the words Children s Library inscribed above it 292 as well as motifs of squirrels designed by Jones 291 Behind the gate is a small garden as well as a doorway with green stone letters reading Children s Library 292 The doorway is topped by a set of windows which is divided vertically into three sections like the other windows on the facade There is another set of iron gates to the south behind which the building s eastern elevation is visible To the east of the library building is a retaining wall and a fence behind which is Mount Prospect Park 282 Interior Edit Occupying over 350 000 square feet 33 000 m2 294 and employing 300 full time staff members the building serves as the administrative headquarters for the Brooklyn Public Library system 295 The building was intended to seat 3 000 patrons at once 137 and it could fit about one million 296 123 181 or two million books in its stacks 137 The reading rooms were placed along the perimeter of the building 135 136 and reflectors and concealed lighting was scattered throughout the building 296 According to the New York Herald Tribune the window arrangement was planned for easy reading and avoidance of eye strain 137 In addition the Central Library was planned with illuminated guides to allow guests to more easily identify books 135 136 The interior spaces were largely plain and rectangular except for the entry foyer and circulation room 158 By the early 21st century the spaces beneath the first and second story windows had bookshelves while the spaces below the third story windows had radiators 297 Following a renovation in 2021 the building s interior was redecorated in a style approximating the original design 280 with light terrazzo floors blond oak and metal accents 266 Lower levels Edit Originally there were four tiers of stacks in the basement which had a capacity of 350 000 123 181 or 450 000 volumes 277 The basement also contains emergency exits to Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway 293 In the basement designated as the lower level near the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway 298 is the Dr S Stevan Dweck Cultural Center a 189 seat auditorium that opened in 2007 255 299 The auditorium contains two lobbies and two conference rooms 255 Adjacent to this auditorium is the Reverend Elsie Smith Conference Room These are accessed from the Brooklyn Community Foundation Lobby at the rear of the basement 298 First story Edit nbsp Original interior of the libraryAs built the ground story designated as the first floor b was intended to contain the building s primary spaces including the general circulation room and a children s library 137 The main entrance leads to a central foyer 286 291 This foyer originally had wood wainscoting 158 as well as green walls and a blue ceiling intended to encourage patrons to enter the circulation room 181 The modern foyer is a symmetrical U shaped space with oak display cases the ceiling is decorated in a simple style with curving lines There are rooms leading off the side walls of the foyer which contain a photocopy room and security office On either side of the foyer a pair of marble stairs and an escalator lead up to the second floor A passage with wood paneling leads straight to the circulation room the walls of this passage contain plaques dedicated to individuals who were involved in the building s construction 291 The foyer contains an Art Deco mural by John von Wicht which was commissioned for radio station WNYC 303 304 The circulation room itself is three stories high 181 305 306 covering 3 250 sq ft 302 m2 181 As originally arranged the room was to be surrounded by small niches separated by bookcases 137 286 increasing the first floor s flexibility 137 The circulating desks were in the middle of the room surrounded by catalog desks 293 Plaster and wood was used throughout the circulation room 158 this design was largely retained through the 21st century 59 307 The rear wall contains a counter Hallways with oak paneling lead off each end of the circulating room the entrances to these hallways are flanked by fluted pilasters and there is a clock above the portal to each hallway 305 Catalog cases were placed on the rear wall of the circulation room 308 until their removal in the 1990s 212 Within the main lobby is the Major Owens Welcome Center named after former U S Congressman Major Owens who worked as a BPL librarian early in his career 280 266 The Eastern Parkway wing was a children s library from the outset 123 309 A parents balcony overlooked the space 277 and a set of bookcases separated the children s library from a senior reading room 309 As of 2023 update the Eastern Parkway side still contains the Youth Wing accessed from the eastern entrance on Eastern Parkway 298 The Flatbush Avenue wing of the first floor originally contained a reading room measuring 180 by 40 ft 55 by 12 m 123 The Flatbush Avenue wing contains the language and literature collection as of 2023 update 298 The Central Library s Civic Commons is a 10 000 foot 3 000 m space accessible from the Flatbush Avenue annex 268 it contains offices for passport applications IDNYC identification cards and community groups as well as a computer lab 269 Adjacent to the circulating room is a 1 190 foot 360 m gallery for new and noteworthy books 268 which opened in 2021 and contains a metal sculpture on its ceiling 269 Originally there was a reading room for popular books just behind the circulating room 308 The rear of the first floor originally contained a reading room adjacent to a small garden After the room was enlarged in the 1960s it became a periodicals and micromaterials department with a staircase ascending to the second story 305 The rooms in the rear were then converted into the Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons 298 which opened in January 2013 261 310 The Info Commons spans 5 500 sq ft 510 m2 and was largely inspired by the design of Apple Stores as well as that of the Bobst Library research center on the campus of New York University 262 It contains a recording studio a classroom for remote learning seven meeting rooms 25 desktop computers and seating for patrons with laptops 261 Second story Edit The second story contains a curving balcony at its eastern or rear end 181 305 306 The stairs and escalators from the first floor foyer lead to landings at the northern and southwestern ends of the balcony 305 There is a metal railing at the front of the balcony as well as doorways to various rooms with display cases between each doorway 305 This balcony was originally illuminated by a wall of 1 000 glass blocks 181 Set within this glass block wall are four curved pillars each made of opaque glass 305 The reading rooms on the rear or southeast end of the second floor date from 1956 305 As of 2023 update the Eastern Parkway wing of the second floor contains the Business and Career Center as well as history religion and biography collections 298 305 The Business and Career Center contains an open plan workspace with numerous wooden chairs and tables along with two seminar rooms four meeting rooms and seven niches for conversation 269 The Flatbush Avenue wing contains the sciences society and technology collections 298 305 The popular library balcony conference room and adult learning center are located in the rear of the building between the two wings 298 Third and fourth stories Edit The top two floors were intended as administrative offices and an employee cafeteria 169 The third floor is accessed by stairs and an elevator from the second story balcony s southwestern end 305 At this level a balcony with full height glass walls crosses above the northwestern corner of the building 59 305 serving as a clerestory 306 293 On the opposite side of the third story between the Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway wings is a trustees room with oak paneling 305 311 Next to it were a staff room and a librarian s office connected to the trustees room by a glass enclosed passage 293 The rooms wood wainscoting and plaster ceilings and walls contrasted with their glass and chromium windows creating a modern design 311 As of 2023 update the Flatbush Avenue wing of the third story contains a computer room and art and music collections in addition to the trustees room The rest of the third story contains administrative offices 298 305 The fourth story was planned to contain a staff dining room and lounge as well as various other rooms and a portion of the upper stacks 130 131 The upper two stories could be accessed by five elevators 293 Almirall s unbuilt design Edit Almirall had originally planned the building as the focal point of Grand Army Plaza surpassing the Soldiers and Sailors Arch in prominence 312 The structure would have required a quadrilateral site measuring 70 ft 21 m along Grand Army Plaza to the west 498 ft 152 m along Flatbush Avenue to the southwest 486 ft 148 m to the east and 332 ft 101 m along Eastern Parkway to the north 57 42 According to the Brooklyn Times Union the site s unusual shape allowed for freer handling of the detail on the facade 313 Although the entire site covered 100 000 sq ft 9 300 m2 there were to be six light courts with a combined area of 13 000 sq ft 1 200 m2 314 315 The facade would have been made mostly of limestone with a granite base The central pavilion would have had curved corners and three openings 50 300 There would have been several 69 foot high 21 m Doric columns on the central pavilion 62 while the side elevations would have contained Doric columns 50 300 There would have been a grand dome above the structure 50 300 316 measuring 150 ft 46 m high 315 62 The interior of the building would have had a total floor area of 270 000 sq ft 25 000 m2 314 315 The longer Flatbush Avenue wing would have had the public rooms while the shorter Eastern Parkway wing would have been used as offices 314 315 Each wing would have contained a central hall on each floor with study rooms reference rooms and offices leading off either side 314 The front of each wing would have been devoted to public facing rooms 54 314 Stacks would have been placed at the rear of each wing facing Underhill Avenue 54 they would have been illuminated by apertures on the facade 314 The building would have contained a steel superstructure 50 301 The structure was originally planned with space for 1 5 million books which was later increased to 2 5 million 313 by 1927 the building was planned to house 3 15 million books 62 Almirall decided upon the dimensions of the building s rooms after touring other libraries 313 From Grand Army Plaza would have been a large lobby and a wide stairway 50 195 leading to the second story 50 The sub basement would have contained the building s mechanical systems while the basement story would have contained the heating plant printing plant storage rooms a janitor s room and a women s sitting room 301 302 There was also to be an auditorium in the basement 315 302 The ground first and second floors would have contained various departments 300 301 A mezzanine above the second story would have had staff rooms and dining rooms 313 Other stories would have contained special departments rare books study rooms and club rooms 300 301 Collections EditThe Brooklyn Central Library contains over 1 7 million materials in its collection 317 Among the original objects in the Central Library s collection was a copy of a French Imperial Old Testament one of twenty known to exist 318 The original collection also included thousands of records by the federal government of the United States 174 as well as 20 000 letters newspaper clippings and other objects relating to World War I history 319 Historically the Central Library housed the BPL s Brooklyn collection The collection contained of media relating to Brooklyn s history including photos books and a full archive of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle 320 After the Brooklyn Historical Society BHS merged with the BPL in 2020 to form the Center for Brooklyn History the Brooklyn collection was relocated to the BHS s building in Brooklyn Heights 321 322 Events EditThe Brooklyn Central Library has hosted numerous events throughout its existence and is visited by over 1 3 million people per year as of 2021 update 266 In its early years the Central Library s exhibits included a showcase of books written by children 323 and an exhibit of foreign born Americans inventions 324 By the 2000s the building was hosting several art exhibits per year 325 Modern events at the building have included the People s Ball an annual fashion show that was first held in 2018 326 The New York Times and Time Out magazine have characterized the People s Ball as a free version of the Met Gala 327 328 In addition as part of the Cinema Ephemera program the BPL sometimes displays videos films images and slideshows are sometimes displayed on the Central Library s main entrance facade at night 329 The Dweck Center in the Central Branch s basement has also hosted events such as fundraisers and parties since it opened in 2007 255 As of 2011 update the Dweck Center hosted over 100 events monthly including many for children 330 Critical reception EditAlmirall s design Edit When construction on Almirall s original building began in 1912 Building Age magazine wrote The new structure will be as complete in details of construction and convenience as it is possible to make it 302 By 1933 the BPL saw the never completed original design as obsolete Brooklyn s chief librarian Milton J Ferguson said at the time The result of all the elaborate art of the building will be dark reading rooms book shelves hard to reach anything but what a modern library should be 331 Christopher Gray wrote for the The New York Times in 2004 that Almirall s design had been a superrich version of Grand Central Terminal s Beaux Arts sundae but with hot fudge whipped cream and a cherry 59 Current structure Edit After Githens and Keally s design was announced Milton J Ferguson said that when the structure was completed it should serve as a model for the entire country 332 When the building opened The Brooklyn Citizen wrote The new library to all appearances seems to be a structure of great utilitarian value and architectural beauty 333 Although architectural critic Lewis Mumford regarded the stacks as mediocre he thought the main lobby area was unexpectedly exhilarating and the most vital point of the whole design 59 334 The BPL s chief librarian during the 1950s Francis R St John described the Central Library as the best example of library architecture in America 209 Although Christopher Gray of The New York Times wrote in 2004 that the building was an impressive Moderne style wedge shaped structure he said its impressive site is in fact one of its biggest disadvantages because of the high amounts of traffic on Grand Army Plaza 59 The New York Times wrote in 2018 The Art Deco ish front entrance recalls the spine the two huge wings the front and back covers 196 In the 1987 book New York 1930 Robert A M Stern and his co authors wrote that the building s interior spaces were proof positive that Modernism and monumentality were not mutually exclusive 335 In 1996 Stern listed the Brooklyn Central Library in his article A Preservationist s List of 35 Modern Landmarks in Waiting 336 The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Central Library as a New York City landmark in June 1997 337 and the Central Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 1 See also EditBrooklyn Visual Heritage List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Brooklyn National Register of Historic Places listings in BrooklynReferences EditNotes Edit According to The Brooklyn Daily Eagle the Central Library was the only library in Brooklyn to open in the 25 years after the borough s last Carnegie library was built 184 The last Carnegie library the Washington Irving Library opened in 1923 185 The current design dates to Githens and Keally s plan where the ground story is labeled as the first floor In Almirall s unbuilt plan the first floor was the story directly above the ground level 300 301 302 Citations Edit a b National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service March 13 2009 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 5 National Park Service 2002 p 3 a b c d e f National Park Service 2002 p 3 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 2 National Park Service 2002 p 8 a b Lancaster Clay 1972 Prospect Park Handbook 2nd ed New York Long Island University Press ISBN 978 0 913252 06 2 Archived from the original on October 1 2019 Retrieved July 8 2023 a b Bluestone Daniel M 1987 From Promenade to Park The Gregarious Origins of Brooklyn s Park Movement American Quarterly JSTOR 39 4 529 550 doi 10 2307 2713123 ISSN 0003 0678 JSTOR 2713123 Prospect Park Progress of the Work Descriptive Particulars The New York Times December 15 1868 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on January 29 2019 Retrieved January 28 2019 Annual reports of the Brooklyn Park Commissioners 1861 1873 Brooklyn Park Commissioners 1873 p 127 Retrieved January 28 2019 via Internet Archive a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 2 National Park Service 2002 p 9 a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 3 a b c d 750 000 Is Voted to Finish Wing of Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 3 1926 p 2 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 a b LaGuardia Asks 5 000 000 Grant for Boro Library Times Union September 12 1935 p 1 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 New York Library Club Cole G W Nelson C A Bostwick A E 1902 Libraries of Greater New York Manual and Historical Sketch of the New York Library Club p 15 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved July 8 2023 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 2 Brooklyn Public Library 1904 Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Brooklyn Public Library The Library p 12 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Brooklyn Carnegie Libraries Bedford Branch Photos HDC May 8 2013 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Library s Plans Comprehensive The Brooklyn Citizen September 30 1900 p 9 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Big Central Library Proposed for Brooklyn The Brooklyn Daily Eagle March 21 1900 p 6 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Central Library Building Wanted The Brooklyn Citizen March 21 1900 p 10 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Won t Change Its Name to Suit Public Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle March 28 1900 p 6 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Mrs Craigie s Fate Is Still in Doubt Times Union May 16 1900 p 2 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 John W Devoy Lectures The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 8 1910 p 18 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Work on Library Contract Is Progressing Rapidly The Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 19 1901 p 16 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 News About Carnegie The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 10 1901 p 2 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Big Library for Brooklyn The New York Times September 12 1901 p 3 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Snow As An Individual Times Union January 22 1902 p 11 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 More Books for the Public New York Tribune February 7 1902 p 5 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Brooklyn Library for City Trustees to Turn Over Property and Books Valued at 750 000 to Be a Part of Public System Provided by Mr Carnegie Conditions to Be Fulfilled New York Tribune February 6 1902 p 7 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 571079155 Central Library Home for Brooklyn System The Brooklyn Citizen June 17 1903 p 8 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Will Surely Oppose Central Library Plan Times Union February 27 1904 p 3 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Public Library s New Civil Service Scheme Times Union May 18 1904 p 2 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Library for the Blind Will Soon Be Erected The Brooklyn Citizen May 18 1904 p 7 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Approves Library Site The Brooklyn Citizen May 2 1905 p 3 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Mayor Honors Controller Grout New York Tribune May 7 1905 p 9 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 a b c Mayor Signs Site Bill Sends Gold Pen to Grout The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 6 1905 p 2 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 The Library Site Times Union May 2 1905 p 6 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Library Site Hearing Grout Faces McKeen The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 1 1905 p 3 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Architects Favor Plaza Site for Public Library The Brooklyn Citizen November 29 1905 p 2 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Park Plaza a Good Site for Library Building The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 29 1905 p 3 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Library Will Be at Park Plaza The Standard Union December 16 1905 p 9 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Committee Selects Site for the Central Library The Brooklyn Citizen December 16 1905 p 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 a b c Work Starts Tomorrow on 5 000 000 Brooklyn Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 25 1911 p 15 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Coler Gets Money for His New Sub surface Bureau The Standard Union May 25 1906 p 1 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Central Library Building Times Union May 24 1906 p 4 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Spellen Suzanne July 25 2022 A Library for All The Story of Brooklyn s Central Library Decades in the Making Brownstoner Archived from the original on November 22 2022 Retrieved July 1 2023 R F Almirall Is Chosen to Design Library Bldg The Brooklyn Citizen July 20 1906 p 3 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Puzzle Over the European Trip The Standard Union July 31 1906 p 11 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Is Library Trip Off Times Union July 31 1906 p 1 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Library Trustees Get Many Reports The Standard Union October 17 1906 p 12 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 a b c d e f g h Plans for New Library Are Submitted to Board The Brooklyn Citizen September 18 1907 p 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Postpone Approval of Library Plans Times Union October 16 1907 p 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Moved to Reconsider Central Library Site The Brooklyn Citizen October 16 1907 p 10 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Brooklyn s New Library New York Tribune November 21 1907 p 4 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 572029570 a b c d Approves Library Building The Brooklyn Citizen December 20 1907 p 4 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Library Plans Approved Times Union December 23 1907 p 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 To Ask Appropriation for Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 20 1909 p 10 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 a b Plan for Central Library in Brooklyn The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 30 1909 p 21 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 a b Undermining the Brooklyn Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 14 1911 p 4 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 a b c d e f g h Gray Christopher July 25 2004 Streetscapes Brooklyn Public Library A Living Monument To the Power of the Word The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Fusion City Government Patchwork Says Boody The Brooklyn Citizen November 14 1915 p 3 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Brooklyn Shares in Big Appropriation The Standard Union July 13 1911 p 13 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 a b c d e f g Brooklyn Seeks Action on Fund For New Library Estimate Board Expected to Vote Soon 011 1 500 000 Item for Foundations New York Herald Tribune May 6 1928 p A3 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1113374981 Site for the Brooklyn Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 21 1912 p 14 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 4 Breaking Ground for Brooklyn s Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle June 6 1912 p 23 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Ground Is Broken for Public Library The Brooklyn Citizen June 6 1912 p 7 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Library Site Obstacle The Brooklyn Citizen February 10 1912 p 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Peat Moss Underlies Central Library Site The Standard Union February 9 1912 p 1 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Thatcher Approves Central Library Plans The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 2 1912 p 1 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Dr Hill Condemns Montague Branch The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 22 1913 p 5 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 New Libraries for Brooklyn Recommended Times Union January 22 1913 p 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Working on Brooklyn s Great New Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 24 1913 p 19 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 New Library Work Far Behind Time Suit Threatened The Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 3 1913 pp 1 2 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Controller Pledges Money for Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 24 1914 p 78 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Prendergast s Plea Gets Library Cash The Brooklyn Daily Eagle December 29 1915 p 9 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Aldermen Vote Library Funds Times Union December 29 1915 p 7 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 File New Library Plans The Brooklyn Daily Eagle March 27 1916 p 18 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 File New Library Plans The Chat April 1 1916 p 61 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 5 000 000 Library Plans Brooklyn to Build One 300 000 Wing for Administration First The New York Times September 9 1916 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Pounds Files Plans for New 5 000 000 Brooklyn Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 8 1916 p 2 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 To Build the New Central Library The Standard Union September 17 1916 p 12 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Library Bids Void Contracts in Doubt Under New Decision The Brooklyn Daily Eagle December 3 1916 pp 1 6 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Central Library Bids Rejected The Chat December 9 1916 p 73 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Still Holding Up Central Library After Year s Delay The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 10 1921 p 40 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Still There Is Hope for Central Library Building Authorized in 1906 Basement Not Finished in 1919 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 19 1919 p 18 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 a b Almirall s Fees As City Architect Disturb Hirshfield Commissioner Hints Foreman of Grand Jury Would Profit by Replacement of Hylan Burr and Himself New York Tribune December 2 1919 p 10 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 576168293 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Almirall Fees for New Library So Far 129 000 Times Union December 1 1919 p 5 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Want Central Library Completed Speedily The Standard Union March 19 1920 p 16 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Boody Gets Action on Central Public Library for Boro The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 11 1921 p 2 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Fund for Library Wing Is Assured May Be 1 000 000 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 16 1921 p 1 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Riegelmann to Ask Fund to Build Library and Erase Boro s Most Famous Ruin The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 16 1922 p 8 Archived from the original on June 26 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Central Library Will Be Completed Says Riegelmann The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 18 1923 p 2 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 27 2023 Hylan Now Says Plan for Library Is Extravagant The Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 15 1923 p 5 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 27 2023 Waterman Charges Library Neglect Lays Low Wages and Failure to Finish Brooklyn Building to Mayor The New York Times September 9 1925 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Waterman Ready to Build Tubes on Wasted Money The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 9 1925 p 11 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Central Library This Much of It is Still Standing Times Union May 23 1926 p 62 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Berry Promises to Push Work on Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 20 1926 p 3 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 750 000 for Brooklyn Central Library Voted The New York Herald New York Tribune April 21 1926 p 3 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1112763540 South Brooklyn Trade Board Marks Birthday With Dinner The Brooklyn Citizen April 23 1926 p 2 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Propose Razing Wing to Rebuild Library Cheaper The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 15 1926 p 24 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Byrne Urges City to Bear 65 P c of Coney Pier Repair The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 19 1927 p 7 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Begin Work in 2 Weeks on Brooklyn Library Contract for First Wing Awarded Foundation Dug in 1914 After Thirty Years of Debate The New York Times August 23 1927 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Contracts for Central Library Are Awarded The Chat August 27 1927 p 2 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 a b c Work on 750 000 Wing for Library Finally Started The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 5 1927 p 3 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Builders Smash Library Granite Farley Explains Daily News October 2 1927 p 74 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Unbuild Library to Save 2 000 000 Times Union October 16 1927 p 144 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 1 250 000 Stock is Authorized to Complete Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 12 1928 p 2 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 1 100 000 Stock Voted for Brooklyn Library Committee Approves Funds for Foundation Work on the Central Structure The New York Times November 13 1928 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 To Seek Library Bids The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 16 1928 p 4 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Old Water Tower to be Dismantled Times Union July 31 1929 p 51 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Mt Prospect Water Tower Yields to Library Project Times Union January 21 1930 p 3 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Ground Broken Soon for New Library Units The Standard Union December 31 1929 p 6 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 The Brooklyn Central Library The Brooklyn Citizen December 31 1929 p 4 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 Ground Is Broken for Boro Library Times Union January 7 1930 p 36 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Central Library Project Being Pushed to End Daily News June 15 1930 p 86 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b 7 120 000 Library Planned in Brooklyn Trustees Favor a Forty two Story Building in Borough Hall Area for Downtown Units The New York Times February 19 1931 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on April 11 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 42 Story Building Urged For Brooklyn Libraries City to Get Plans for Housing 2 Branches in Office Structure New York Herald Tribune February 20 1931 p 17 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1114054456 a b Wilhelm Carl July 19 1931 Library Fight to Front Again in Estimate Bd The Brooklyn Daily Eagle p 5 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c Set 1937 for Completion of Main Library Daily News January 25 1937 p 252 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c Award 1 000 000 to Complete Plaza Library Building The Brooklyn Daily Eagle December 31 1952 p 5 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b c d e Brooklyn Library 56 Years a Borning First Planned in 1897 It Is to Be Completed Next Year if Present Schedule Is Kept The New York Times September 11 1952 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b Library Begun in 12 is Still Unfinished Daily News June 5 1932 p 70 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c d e f g Brooklyn to Open Its Library 9 29 Years A Building on Feb 3 Abandoned From 1919 to 1937 Pigeon Palace Has Been Redesigned on Modern Lines Now Called Ingersoll Memorial It s Still Unfinished New York Herald Tribune January 26 1941 p A1 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1325063936 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 4 National Park Service 2002 p 10 12 000 000 Sure for City Relief Projects Shelved Times Union January 26 1932 pp 3 4 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Declares City Has No Fund to Finish Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 8 1932 p 17 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Civic Leaders Join in Demand for a U S Loan for Library Daily News October 27 1933 p 414 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Urges Approval of Federal Loan for Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 3 1933 p 24 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Boro Library Loan Request Voted by City The Brooklyn Citizen April 5 1935 p 1 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c Tentative Plans Completed for Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle May 19 1935 pp 7 11 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c Accessibility Called Keynote in Central Library Plans Times Union May 19 1935 p 9 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Ingersoll Says Central Library Will Be Finished Times Union September 5 1935 p 2 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Ingersoll to Aid Bid for Library Funds Daily News December 5 1935 p 577 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Ingersoll Plans to Press Plea on Library Aid The Brooklyn Daily Eagle December 4 1935 p 8 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c d e Civic Leaders Form to Press Library Fight The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 2 1936 p 4 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c d e Committee Named to Push Plan for Central Library Times Union February 2 1936 p 7 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c d e f g h Work Starts for 1939 Opening Of Brooklyn s Central Library 39 Year Old Project Revised Now at Half Former Cost to Stress Functional Values Ground Floor to Enter Service First Fan Shaped Library to Rise From Ruins of Brooklyn New York Herald Tribune June 19 1938 p A3 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1243016721 Trustees Appeal to PWA for New Central Library Times Union January 26 1936 p 5 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Brooklyn Still Wants Library A Dream of 89 P W A Is Latest Hope of Optimistic Borough for Large Central Building It Was Under Way Twice Wing Built Razed Built 5 Million Sought Now New York Herald Tribune June 28 1936 p A16 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1318508909 Brooklyn Gets Promise Of a Central Library Mayor LaGuardia Says Funds Will Be Allocated for Work New York Herald Tribune August 14 1936 p 19 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1222076421 Brooklyn Library Speeded by Moses Commissioner s Plan Approved by Mayor Would Finish Job at Cost of 2 000 000 The New York Times August 14 1936 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Ingersoll Plan Is Due to Put Library in Use The Brooklyn Daily Eagle January 24 1937 p 16 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Library Building Soon in Brooklyn Times Union March 21 1937 pp 1 3 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Library Battle Victory Hailed by Boro Civics 2 000 000 for Work Due The Brooklyn Citizen March 22 1937 p 3 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Library Backers to Mark Victory Times Union May 2 1937 p 19 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Brooklyn to Get 2 000 000 to Finish Library Taylor Assures Citizens Committee of Funds as Soon an Plan In Revised To End 25 Years Delay Ingersoll Says Borough Has Felt It Was Neglected New York Herald Tribune May 4 1937 p 2 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1243538814 Ground Broken 25 Years Back for Big Library The Brooklyn Citizen June 7 1937 p 5 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Board to Speed Central Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle November 19 1937 p 1 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Board of Estimate Votes Brooklyn Library Bonds New York Herald Tribune November 20 1937 p 30 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1243613315 Bids Opened to Finish Brooklyn Central Library Structure Started and Abandoned More Than 25 Years Ago New York Herald Tribune December 24 1937 p 6 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1244132884 Bids Opened to Finish Brooklyn Central Library Structure Started and Abandoned More Than 25 Years Asro New York Herald Tribune December 24 1937 p 6 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1244132884 Work Starts in Month on Main Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle December 30 1937 p 7 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Library Contracts Signed by Ingersoll Central Brooklyn Building First Suggested in 1898 to Cost 1 822 000 The New York Times December 30 1937 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Brooklyn Library Begun 2 000 000 Central Building to Be Ready Next Year The New York Times February 15 1938 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 24 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 Central Library Work Is Started The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 14 1938 p 9 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 To Streamline Library Building The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 17 1938 p 3 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c d Pencil Points 1941 p 442 a b c d e Stern Gilmartin amp Mellins 1987 p 139 3 667 000 in Bonds for Slum Clearance The Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 29 1938 p 5 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Sculptors Work on Library Design The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 16 1938 p 6 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 City Approves Drawings for Library Here The Brooklyn Citizen September 16 1938 p 2 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 31 328 500 Works Approved for City PWA Authorizes 28 Schools Hospitals Bridges and Other Enterprises The New York Times June 25 1938 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on April 25 2023 Retrieved June 27 2023 New Library Here Assured by PWA Grant The Brooklyn Citizen June 25 1938 p 2 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 At Long Last Library Looks to Opening Daily News August 13 1939 p 122 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 City Aid Hints B klyn Library Will Get Fund The Brooklyn Citizen October 14 1939 p 2 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 New Library Bond Issue With Mayor The Brooklyn Daily Eagle August 8 1939 p 15 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Due to Get Equipment Daily News October 31 1939 p 426 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 101 000 Voted to Equip New Boro Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 20 1939 p 4 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b Mayor Praises New Brooklyn Central Library Views Facilities and Says The Next Thing You ll Be Reading for Them New York Herald Tribune December 6 1939 p 19 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1258031743 a b La Guardia Inspects Brooklyn Library Impressed by New Building 219 000 Still Needed The New York Times December 6 1939 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 28 2023 Retrieved June 28 2023 a b Central Library Girls Work in Dusty Garage The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 9 1940 p 3 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 When Is a Garage a Library And Why Daily News October 14 1940 p 412 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b New Brooklyn Library Getting Stored Books Truck Takes 2 500 From Carroll Park Branch 460 000 Will Be Moved Books Arriving for Brooklyn s New Public Library New York Herald Tribune February 6 1940 p 20 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1242944058 a b Brooklyn Library Shifts 6 000 Books Federal Records Go to New Building Nearly Completed The New York Times February 6 1940 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b Lack of 300 000 Delays Library Use The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 7 1940 p 3 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Funds Urged to Complete Boro Library The Brooklyn Citizen October 7 1940 pp 1 2 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Funds for New Supreme Court to be Approved The Brooklyn Citizen October 22 1940 p 1 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b Plan Memorial to R Ingersoll Late Boro Head The Brooklyn Citizen October 17 1940 p 2 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Ingersoll Memorial for New Library Daily News November 8 1940 p 479 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Library Funds For Brooklyn Urged at Once Dr Ferguson Says Building Can Open Soon if Only 300 000 Is Supplied New York Herald Tribune October 7 1940 p 15 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1258460197 a b c d e f g h New Central Library Open After 36 Years Thrills Boro Crowds The Brooklyn Citizen February 1 1941 pp 1 2 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Started Decades Ago Library Opens Today The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 1 1941 pp 1 2 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Ingersoll Library Opens Central Building of Brooklyn Group Put Into Service The New York Times February 4 1941 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b Kaufman I February 13 1949 Cites Library Facts in Salute to Culture The Brooklyn Daily Eagle p 11 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Washington Irving Library Brooklyn Public Library August 22 2011 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Rush on New Library Strips Third of Books The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 13 1941 p 3 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Heavy Rush of Readers in New Central Library Empties Many Shelves The Brooklyn Citizen February 12 1941 p 5 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Corby Jane March 28 1941 Library to Become Vital Point in Cultural Activity of Museum The Brooklyn Daily Eagle p 23 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 1 500 See Dedications of Ingersoll Library The Brooklyn Daily Eagle March 30 1941 pp 1 2 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Memorial to Ingersoll Is Unveiled in Brooklyn LaGuardia Smith and Cashmere Attend Ceremony New York Herald Tribune September 18 1941 p 25 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1259247736 Floodlights to End Blackouts at Arch The Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 19 1941 p 2 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Library Expects Rush Young People s Division Will Be Opened in Brooklyn Today The New York Times October 1 1941 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Young Peoples Division of Boro Library to Open The Brooklyn Daily Eagle October 1 1941 p 7 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Brooklyn Library Asks Book Shelf Expansion New York Herald Tribune October 23 1941 p 19 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1257792228 a b c Pencil Points 1941 p 438 a b c d e Barron James March 25 2018 In Brooklyn Modernizing a Library for Downloads and Robots The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Library Hours Changed Brooklyn Ingersoll Memorial to Open at 10 A M The New York Times January 5 1942 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Central Brooklyn Library Will Stay Open to Public Daily from 10 in Morning The Brooklyn Citizen January 6 1942 p 3 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Brooklyn Library Has Shelf for Consumers New York Herald Tribune April 8 1942 p 16 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1266893297 Library Starts Lending Music Records Today Brooklyn Ingersoll Branch to Open Its Collection of 1 800 Phonograph Disks New York Herald Tribune July 16 1942 p 17 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1320133566 Plaza Library Here Unveils Twin Plaques The Brooklyn Citizen October 21 1942 p 2 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Brooklyn Library Unveiling New York Herald Tribune October 21 1942 p 19 ISSN 1941 0646 ProQuest 1260345917 Brooklyn Booklovers Bemoan State of Borough Libraries Daily News December 1 1946 p 122 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b Boro Library Unfinished After 7 Years The Brooklyn Daily Eagle August 12 1948 p 3 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Brooklyn Library Asks Building Fund Wants 1 385 000 to Complete Ingersoll Memorial Branch Started 36 Years Ago The New York Times August 15 1948 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Vast New Projects Visioned for Boro The Brooklyn Daily Eagle August 13 1948 pp 1 7 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Library s Unfinished 2d Floor Opened for Signal Corps Exhibit The Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 2 1951 p 5 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Brooklyn Library Fund Asked The New York Times April 19 1952 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b c d DeMelia John September 14 1952 Main Library s Completion Is Within Sight The Brooklyn Daily Eagle p 10 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Library s Completion Slated After 47 Years Daily News January 1 1953 p 42 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 New Hope is Raised in Drivers Strike Excavator Truck Unit to Meet Contractors Today on Plan That Could Set a Formula The New York Times July 29 1953 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b c d e f g Central Library History PDF Brooklyn Public Library 2016 pp 1 2 Archived PDF from the original on September 19 2022 Retrieved July 5 2023 National Park Service 2002 p 15 Robinson Layhmond August 16 1960 327 000 Is Sought for New Library At Budget Hearing Village Groups Gain in Fight to Convert Old Courthouse The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 B klyn and Queens Stress 5 Year Plan in Library Plea Daily News August 15 1960 p 360 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Miele Alfred October 6 1960 8 New Schools OK d Nix Put on Libraries Daily News p 743 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Crowell Paul August 26 1961 Libraries Here Seek 9 2 Million Projects Planned in Queens Manhattan and Brooklyn The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Ask 14 Million for Libraries in 2 Boroughs Daily News August 22 1962 p 544 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 pp 7 8 Kaplan Samuel April 19 1965 Mayor Advances Library Projects He Also Approves Park and Playground Outlays The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on August 19 2019 Retrieved June 30 2023 Mayor OKs Library Plans for Brooklyn Daily News April 19 1965 p 298 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b Greene Elinor November 29 1965 Library Booking 2 8 Million Plan Daily News p 74 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Grand Army Plaza to Be Floodlighted The Williamsburg News February 5 1965 p 2 Archived from the original on July 8 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Public Library Soon Will Add to Boro Space Daily News March 12 1967 p 975 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b Main Library to Be Closed Daily News October 13 1971 p 334 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 a b The Reading is Broadening at This Library Daily News July 8 1973 p 198 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Move 65 000 Books to New Library Wing Daily News February 17 1971 p 295 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Library Closed for 2 day Repair Daily News November 18 1971 p 426 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Areas to Close at the Library Daily News July 27 1973 p 255 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Miele Alfred March 15 1974 1 76B Construction Budget Daily News p 314 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Mitgang Herbert January 30 1982 Library Campaign Evokes Fondness The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Security System for Central Library Daily News January 6 1983 p 124 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 National Park Service 2002 p 14 Brooklyn Main Library Cuts Days Newsday February 5 1991 p 38 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 a b Yarrow Andrew L April 14 1991 Somber 50th Birthday for Brooklyn s Main Library The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 Brandwein Larry April 23 1992 Brooklyn Demands Newsday pp 60 110 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 8 National Park Service 2002 p 14 Central Library to Become a Summer Wonderland Canarsie Courier April 22 1993 p 26 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 Sengupta Somini January 28 1996 Neighborhood Report Brooklyn on Line Libraries Lag on Surfing the Net The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Around the State The Buffalo News October 10 1996 p 9 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 Rohde David February 9 1997 A Shortage of Terminals Spells Computer Access Denied The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 30 2023 Retrieved June 30 2023 Brooklyn Library s multilingual center open New York Amsterdam News October 16 1997 p 34 ProQuest 2663299377 Cheng Mae M October 15 1997 The New New Yorkers Library Opens Multilingual Center Newsday p A31 ISSN 2574 5298 ProQuest 279083552 Waldman Amy May 3 1998 Neighborhood Report Park Slope After School in the Stacks The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on May 27 2015 Retrieved July 1 2023 a b Libraries for the Next Century PDF Oculus Vol 61 no 2 October 1998 p 4 Santiago Roberto July 9 1999 Lee did the right thing Daily News p 1028 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 Shelby Joyce April 30 2000 Kids library gets thumbs up Daily News p 101 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 a b c d e Brooklyn Library opens state of the art youth wing New York Amsterdam News June 1 2000 p 35 ProQuest 2655444644 a b c Stern Robert A M Fishman David Tilove Jacob 2006 New York 2000 Architecture and Urbanism Between the Bicentennial and the Millennium New York Monacelli Press p 1185 ISBN 978 1 58093 177 9 OCLC 70267065 OL 22741487M a b Shelby Joyce December 22 2004 Library s Overdue Add on s on New York Daily News p 6 ISSN 2692 1251 ProQuest 305928919 a b Reyes Damaso July 14 2005 Brooklyn Central Library gets long awaited facelift New York Amsterdam News p 32 ProQuest 390264731 Son Hugh April 6 2006 Book s thrown at library Union fury in 16M makeover New York Daily News p 1 ISSN 2692 1251 ProQuest 306023450 Romano Denise March 23 2007 Her Knowledge of Library Leads to Top shelf Job New York Daily News p 14 ISSN 2692 1251 ProQuest 306100925 Kreinin Souccar Miriam April 23 2007 Librarian with a vision Crain s New York Business Vol 23 no 17 p 37 ProQuest 219138030 a b c d Rathe Adam May 10 2008 Changing of the Guard Brooklyn Paper Brooklyn Paper Retrieved July 5 2023 Durkin Erin March 6 2009 Read It amp Weep Folks Libraries Face 14m in City Cuts but Launch Fund Drive to Keep Doors Open New York Daily News p 1 ISSN 2692 1251 ProQuest 306254814 Morris C Zawadi July 11 2012 Now You Can Get Your Passport at the Brooklyn Public Library Prospect Heights Crown Heights NY Patch Archived from the original on July 8 2023 Retrieved July 5 2023 a b Kings Highway Library Opens Expanded Passport Center Bklyner November 1 2013 Archived from the original on May 30 2023 Retrieved July 5 2023 Banjo Shelly May 21 2010 Philanthropist Upgrades Brooklyn Library Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Archived from the original on January 24 2022 Retrieved July 6 2023 Walters Meredith January 20 2013 Bklyn 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Retrieved June 30 2023 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 3 National Park Service 2002 p 10 Robins 2017 p 220 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 pp 4 5 National Park Service 2002 p 8 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 pp 5 6 National Park Service 2002 p 3 Central Library Renovation Brooklyn Public Library February 5 2018 Archived from the original on July 1 2023 Retrieved July 1 2023 a b c d Brooklyn Public Library 1941 p 15 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 pp 5 6 a b Robins 2017 p 221 a b c Clark Roger May 6 2021 Newly renovated Central Library to welcome visitors in Brooklyn Spectrum News NY1 New York City Archived from the original on June 27 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 Civic Commons Brooklyn Public Library April 27 2021 Archived from the original on June 27 2023 Retrieved June 26 2023 a b c d e f Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 7 Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 7 National Park Service 2002 p 14 a b c d e f g h i Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 6 National Park Service 2002 p 3 a b c d e Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 6 a b c d Brooklyn Public Library 1941 p 5 Ex editor s Words Carved on Library Quotation by Dr Brown Joins Aphorisms of Immortals The New York Times January 23 1939 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 7 National Park Service 2002 p 3 a b Robins 2017 pp 221 222 a b c Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 pp 6 7 National Park Service 2002 p 3 a b c d e National Park Service 2002 p 4 a b c d e f g h i Landmarks Preservation Commission 1997 p 7 National Park Service 2002 p 4 a b c d e f g h Pencil Points 1941 p 443 A Look Inside Central Library PDF Brooklyn Public Library Archived PDF from the original on September 18 2020 Retrieved July 8 2023 Kathleen A Howe June 2001 National Register of Historic Places Registration Brooklyn Public Library Central Building New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation Archived from the original on January 16 2012 Retrieved February 20 2011 See also Accompanying 16 photos Archived from the original on October 19 2012 Retrieved February 11 2013 a b Pencil Points 1941 p 444 National Park Service 2002 pp 5 6 a b c d e f g h i Central Library Floor Plan PDF Map Brooklyn Public Library Archived from the original PDF on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 Dr S Stevan Dweck Cultural Center Brooklyn Public Library March 28 2017 Archived from the original on June 29 2023 Retrieved June 29 2023 a b c d e f Plans for Central Library Win Praise Times Union September 18 1907 p 3 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 a b c d e Plans for New Public Library The Standard Union September 18 1907 p 10 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 24 2023 a b c d Brooklyn s 3 000 000 Library Building Building Age June 1 1912 p 342 ProQuest 128351245 Glueck Grace January 7 1994 A Guide to the City s 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the World Soon to Occupy One Side of the Prospect Park Beauty Spot The New York Times May 12 1912 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on June 25 2023 Retrieved June 25 2023 Frohne 1908 p 110 Brooklyn Public Library Central Library Brooklyn Public Library Archived from the original on September 29 2015 Retrieved November 23 2013 Library Gets Rare Book French Edition of Old Testament Goes to Brooklyn The New York Times February 27 1940 ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on July 8 2023 Retrieved July 6 2023 span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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