Friday, December 8, 2023

Happy No. 139 to the Ottendorfer Library branch!

The Ottendorfer branch of the New York Public Library on Second Avenue is celebrating its 139th anniversary this week.

The library, 135 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street, had an opening ceremony on Dec. 6, 1884, at 3:30 p.m. and then opened the following Monday, Dec. 8, 1884, for regular service. 

To mark the anniversary, the library is hosting a walking tour tomorrow (Saturday) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Details!
We will celebrate the German heritage of the East Village that brought it to fruition. When the revolutions of 1848 throughout Europe failed, many young German-speaking revolutionaries fled to the East Village, which became the largest German-speaking community in the world after Berlin and Vienna. 

With the freedoms of the New World, Little Germany, or Kleindeutschland, as it became known, was a crucible for their energies and talents. On this tour, we will walk to places where Europe's failed revolutionaries made their mark and consider their legacy.
Find more info here. 

Branch manager Kristin Kuehl shared this trivia with us: Ottendorfer is the oldest NYC public library still operating in its original building.

Also! Half of the 8,000 original books were in German, with the other half in English. 

Below is an undated archival photo by J. Frederick Stein from the NYPL Digital Collections.
    
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