Central Library (Brooklyn Public Library)

The Central Library is the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, located at Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway on Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York City. It contains over a million cataloged books, magazines, and multimedia materials. Each year, over one million people visit the library.[2] The building is a designated New York City landmark.

Brooklyn Public Library–Central Building
Seen in July 2019
LocationGrand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, New York City
Coordinates40°40′20″N 73°58′7″W
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]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 11, 2002
Designated NYCL1997

Facility

The 352,000 square foot[3] building contains the S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, a 189-seat auditorium that opened in 2007 and hosts lectures, readings, musical performances, and other events for people of all ages. The library's plaza, renovated during the construction of the Dweck Center, hosts concerts throughout the summer and has become a favorite outdoor destination for free wireless internet access.

The Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons opened in January 2013.[4] The space is used for individual work, public classes, private events, and meetings.[2]

The Central Library's local history division, The Brooklyn Collection, holds over a million individual items including photographs, maps, manuscripts, Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia and other ephemeral items.

History
Bronze gateway to library. Designed and detailed by C. Paul Jennewein and Thomas Hudson Jones.

Groundbreaking for a Brooklyn central library on Prospect Park Plaza (now Grand Army Plaza) occurred in 1912. The original architect Raymond Almirall had designed a domed, four-story Beaux-Arts building, similar in style to the adjacent Brooklyn Museum. Escalating costs and political infighting slowed construction throughout the decade. Because of World War I and the Great Depression, Almirall's building was never completed except for the Flatbush Avenue wing, which was finished in 1929.

In the 1930s, architects Githens and Keally were commissioned to redesign the building in the Art Deco style, eliminating the expensive ornamentation and the fourth floor. Construction recommenced in 1938, and Almirall's building on Flatbush Avenue was largely demolished except for the frame, but some of the original facade along the library's parking lot is still visible. Completed by late 1940, the Central Library opened to the public on February 1, 1941. It was publicly and critically acclaimed at the time.

The second floor of the Central Library opened in 1955, nearly doubling the amount of space available to the public. Occupying over 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) and employing 300 full-time staff members, the building serves as the administrative headquarters for the Brooklyn Public Library system. Prior to 1941 the Library's administrative offices were located in the Williamsburgh Savings Bank on Flatbush Avenue.[5]

The Central Library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1]

gollark: The UK adopted this recently for GCSEs but it runs 9 (best) to 1 (worst).
gollark: [REDACTED]
gollark: It looks like the design change is still in their A/B test system, so I can override it for now.
gollark: Or you just haven't updated.
gollark: I think they may be A/B testing.

See also
  • Brooklyn Visual Heritage
  • List of New York City Landmarks
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Kings County, New York

References

Notes

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library". Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  3. https://www.bklynlibrary.org/sites/default/files/documents/central/a%20look%20inside%20Central%20Library.pdf
  4. http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?p=8612
  5. 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 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2011-02-20. See also: "Accompanying 16 photos". Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
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