Children's Library Discovery Center

The Children's Library Discovery Center, in Jamaica, Queens, New York, is an addition to the Queens Central Library building.[1] It was commissioned by the New York City Department of Design & Construction and completed in 2011 under the New York City Design and Construction Excellence program.[2]

Children's Library Discovery Center
Location within New York
General information
Location89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens, NY, U.S. 11432
Coordinates40.7077°N 73.7970°W / 40.7077; -73.7970
Technical details
Floor count2
Design and construction
Architect1100 Architect

The center is the Queens Borough Public Library system's largest facility.[3] With a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the center recruited specialists from the Exploratorium in San Francisco to design hands-on "discovery stations".[3] The stations, geared toward children ages 3–12, introduce them to diverse topics such as weather, music, and nanotechnology.[4] According to Queens Library CEO Thomas Galante, the embedding of museum-like exhibits into a reading space as exemplified by the center is unique among public libraries in the United States.[3]

The 22,000-square-foot, two-story building was designed by 1100 Architect, with graphics and wayfinding designed by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture & Design Partnership. The exterior is a conspicuous glass façade scaled to match the existing mix of low-rises in the neighborhood.[5]

History

The library opened in 2011.[6] The addition of the Children's Library Discovery Center is significant to the community of Jamaica, Queens, as it serves a diverse and marginalized population of New York City. The services provided by the Center are not easily available to Queens residents.

The adjacent 275,000-square-foot (25,500 m2) Queens Central Library building was designed by York & Sawyer in 1966.[7] As the first major branch of an urban library to place all public services on one floor, its design was representative of a new building trend towards functional library design.[7] The new addition to the existing library was proposed under New York's Design and Construction Excellence program—a federal plan started in the mid-1990s that sought to bring better design to government buildings.[5] The program, led by Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David J. Burney, guarantees market-rate fees to architects with the intent to encourage fresh young talent in the city.[8]

Awards

In 2011, the building received two awards: the Queens Library Foundation, Award for Excellence in Design; and the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Building Award: New Construction/Public Building.[2] In 2012 it won the Municipal Art Society of New York, MASterworks Award: Best Neighborhood Catalyst,[2] and in 2013, the NYLA-PLA Award.[9]

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References
  1. Kristal, Marc. "Happy Discovery". Metropolis Magazine. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  2. "Queens Central Library, Children's Library Discovery Center". 1100 Architect. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  3. Kathryn Kattalia (5 October 2011). "Children's Library Discovery Center: Queens' youngest readers find science in the stacks". New York Daily News. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  4. Kaitlin Ahem (16 September 2011). "New Children's Library Discovery Center Opens in Jamaica, Queens". NYMetroParents. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  5. Kimmelman, Michael (October 10, 2011). "New York's Public Architecture Gets a Face-Lift". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  6. https://www.mommynearest.com/article/6-best-childrens-libraries-in-the-united-states
  7. Dunlap, David W. (March 18, 2013). "Queens Central Library Opens Wider". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  8. Harris, Elizabeth A. (December 1, 2010). "The Insider | Enlightening City Construction". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  9. "Queens Central Library CLDC Wins NYLA-PLA Award". 1100 Architect. August 26, 2013.
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