The New York Public Library has announced plans for a $30.2 million comprehensive renovation of the 122-year-old Carnegie branch on 10th Street.
The project is currently in the design phase, with construction projected to be completed by Dec. 22, 2028.
According to the NYPL, the renovation will reconfigure the library's layout to create dedicated spaces for children, teens and adults while addressing long-standing accessibility needs. Planned improvements include ADA upgrades to the entrance, bathrooms, and elevator, as well as new furniture, upgraded technology, and modernized building systems.
As part of the planning process, the library is seeking community input. Patrons can complete a survey online here or at a kiosk inside the branch between Avenue A and Avenue B through June 30.
After the survey closes, the NYPL plans to host a community meeting to share the results and gather additional feedback.
As branch manager William Hall noted in an email to patrons, the goal is to ensure the branch can serve the neighborhood for generations to come.
The branch was closed for four months in 2023 (April-August) to, per NYPL officials, "facilitate improvements to the building, including preliminary work on a new Teen Center at the library, as well as replacing the branch's flooring and a fresh coat of paint."
wow! wonderful news for our library community!
ReplyDeleteDid they say when they would be closing?
ReplyDeleteNo mention of a closing date... only that they are currently in the design phase...
DeleteThat’s excellent news! IMO this a great iuse of our tax dollars! While I’ll miss the library during renovations (whenever that ocurs) I look forward to seeing the finished result!
ReplyDeleteYes! Libraries are valuable resources.
ReplyDeleteLibraries are valuable to people who want to rent out the latest movie.
DeleteAny news on the reopening of Hamilton Fish?
ReplyDeleteThey wrecked that library so now I guess they have to wreck Tompkins. There’s no sign when Hamilton Fish will open; they destroyed East River park; all of it unnecessary. Uprooted a thousand trees. The lower part of the park that’s done is a concrete wasteland. But I guess there’s a palm to be greased somewhere.
Delete30 million + will balloon to 40 when the city finishes. Sad to say this is a wasted project. The current reno was a complete waste of money... the wood floor is a mess already... There are fewer seats... fewer outlets and less shelf space for books because the desk was moved to the opposite wall... and the lounge seating was discarded. The real problem for the EV is not the Reno... but the closure. If this is a top to bottom project then it will take over a year maybe a year and a 1/2. The project leaders should have rented a space in the EV close to the library to open up a temporary branch. The books and equipment have to be removed anyway. Steiner would have been perfect. Maybe there's still time to find something near by. But right from jump street this project is not being handled well. No one wants the library to close for over a year. Think about the bathhouse in the park. How long did that take? Years!
ReplyDelete$30 million? That should be the cost of an all new building, not a renovation.
DeleteThe building is 122-years old and ADA-compliance costs millions. I don't know how people who who were not ambulatory back in the early 20th century got into some of these buildings that required steps to the first floor. Perhaps if they were wealthy there were people who carried them. And maybe they just didn't live long enough to become incapacitated. And since it'sa publicly funded renovation, these will be union jobs, which alone contributes to it being an expensive project
DeleteI guess I've lived here for a long time now, but I remember the last time they closed it for a complete renovation. Does it really need this again?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing. Wasn't it closed for well over a year? I remember having to go to Ottendorfer or Hamilton Fish.
DeleteDo we really need libraries these days with the internet and AI? Before the internet this is how research was conducted but I am curious as to who really uses libraries these days and for what purpose that is not available on line? Is $30MM (a huge sum for a renovation) better spend here or is it better to convert the library to more housing - affordable or otherwise? How many people a year use the library?
ReplyDeleteLibraries remain vital institutions in the city, even in (especially in?) this on-line age, so investing in them is important, still.
DeleteAgreed. The library was so important to me growing up in the city. Librarians are and were a big part of my life.
DeleteAnon @ 2:37 PM, if you’d had a good librarian in your life growing up, you’d know how to find the answer to a question like that rather than try to rely on word of mouth. You’d also have learned to read up on new technologies like AI rather than assume broad swathes of hype about it replacing anything and everything, as you seem to have done. If you’d like a good example of the types of things librarians can and do help people with, I recommend the substack Card Catalog. Including AI prompts, at times. The two things are not mutually incompatible. If you think they are you don’t fully grasp how either AI or libraries work.
DeleteWho uses libraries?
ReplyDeleteChildren after school on cold and rainy days
Teens who want a safe hangout space
Folks who need to use library computers and internet
And me who reads a lot and likes to hold books in her hand!!
Also many community activities take place there!!
A necessary and welcome part of our community!!
Why so much and for what? It’s a nice facility besides the stairs in the front. How about a coat check for patrons roller suitcases and giant black trash bags so it won’t block the entry.
ReplyDeleteIt’s also for total ADA compliance.
ReplyDeleteLibraries remain vital institutions in all places!!! They are cooling centers, places for safe meet-ups, community centers, a place to get tax forms, print out resumes when your at home printer breaks, computer use, art classes, English as a second language classes, and of course, vital research centers and quiet reading spots. I use the library all the time and value its place in our society and so should everyone——use it or lose it, folks. Good luck with your brain and your use of AI all of you peeps who are calling this a waste of money…. You know nothing about community.
Funny, no mention of people actually renting out books, you know the main function of libraries and not "cooling center, safe meet-ups, tax forms, etc"
DeleteThere are places that do offer all these things, but if you're not a senior, there's typically a cost attached. People no longer own printers, or cannot afford them, and want to use the Internet, but may not have full access at home--but it's freely available there. Although lots of shops offer "free" WiFi, you have to buy something. Personally, I like the completely quiet atmosphere for reading either my hard copy weekend Times, or watching streaming shows on my iPad. If you have absolutely no need for the library and have not attempted to go in there I understand how you might feel it's out of date. But specially in the East Village and a lot of poor communities it's a vital resource and not just for books
Deletehow is it possible to spend $30M on renovating this library? I love New York but holy shit the corruption is no joke
ReplyDeleteWho uses libraries? ME and thousands of other New Yorkers. I can't believe people are questioning the necessity.
ReplyDeleteI believe the Library is about 10,000 Square Feet. That comes to $3,000 /SF for a renovation!!! That is insane - it costs way less to build a new building from the ground up. This is a perfect example of government waste and even possibly some fraud going on as these numbers do not make sense in any way!
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to get an elevator that goes from front door to top floor and just call it a day??
ReplyDeleteThey spent a chunk in money on the renovations just a few years ago.
The cost will quadruple and it will be at least 3 years....to 'renovate' a small 3 story existing building. We saw this at the Mullenburg library in Chelsea, and at the Chelsea Health Center on 9th Ave. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. I was told by some connected with the main branch that there are structural problems with the building. If that's the case it'll be years. The city is required by law to accept the lowest bid and that means slow work schedules. Look how long it took to Reno the bathhouse in TSP. An alternate space should be set up to cover the many users that depend on the library for work, study, child care, heating and cooling in winter and summer and other services cultural and governmental that the library provides. Maybe a deal can be struck with the church about using St. Brigid. It's unacceptable for the library to close for over a year. Dos anybody know where Harvey Epstein stands in all of this.
DeleteIn the interim, THEY COULD MOVE IT TO CHARAS! (I mean, if the building was in any way functional and whatever, but one can dream,)
ReplyDelete