The Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Public Library opened in 1884 as New York City's first free public library. Designed by German-born architect William Schickel, this landmark building combines Queen Anne and neo-Italian Renaissance styles with an exterior ornamented by innovative terracotta putti. The branch was a gift of Oswald Ottendorfer, owner of the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung newspaper.
We will have 36 public programs for all ages, including performances, lectures, workshops, author readings, and films, as well as tables from local organizations, and art installations by 15 local artists and groups.
In addition, we are also working with local galleries and organizations on our first ever Gallery Walk. Stop by the library to pick up a Gallery Walk flyer, which you can have stamped at each gallery you visit. Visit at least four of the participating galleries between Dec. 1 and 15, and you can enter a library raffle for some fabulous prizes!
This vigorous and enthusiastically researched show will focus on the creative counter-culture of the surrounding neighborhood in the 1980's. It will present important, vital highlights from the night club scene, along with the music, theater, and art activity of that period — a period in which the East Village was recognized nationally and internationally for its sometimes famous and sometimes infamous personalities and places.
In conjunction with the show, the Tompkins Square library has been working with material from the New York Public Library special collections, and with the Fales NYU Downtown archive. Of significant interest are the many photographs and fascinating ephemera and reproductions from the East Village in the 1980s.
• Wednesday, Oct. 3, 6 p.m.: 16mm Film Screening: La Dolce Festa (1977; 28 mins.) Dir: Kathleen Dowdey. A documentary on the traditions, preparation and rituals of the San Gennaro Festival. 16mm film from the special collections of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
• Wednesday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m.: Author Talk: Alice Sparberg Alexiou and Kerri Culhane. Culhane, an architectural historian who wrote the report that led to the designation of the Bowery as a historic district in 2011, will engage Alice Sparberg Alexiou (author of "Devil’s Mile: The Rich, Gritty History of the Bowery") in conversation about the Bowery’s past, present, and future, followed by time for questions and answers. The program is presented in partnership with the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors.
• Friday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m.: The East Village in the 1980s: a conversation with: Penny Arcade, Clayton Patterson, Chris Rael. Moderator: Andy McCarthy, a reference librarian at the Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy at NYPL, and a former NYC doubledecker bus tour guide.
• Exhibition: From Oct. 19 through Nov. 1 the Tompkins Square Library will present “A Look Back on the East Village of the 1980s.”
This vigorous and enthusiastically researched show will focus on the creative counter-culture of the surrounding neighborhood in the 1980's. It will present important, vital highlights from the night club scene, along with the music, theater, and art activity of that period — a period in which the East Village was recognized nationally and internationally for its sometimes famous and sometimes infamous personalities and places.
In conjunction with the show, the Tompkins Square library has been working with material from the New York Public Library special collections, and with the Fales NYU Downtown archive. Of significant interest are the many photographs and fascinating ephemera and reproductions from the East Village in the 1980s.
• Wednesday, Sept. 5, 4 pm-7 pm: Meet your Assembly Member: Harvey Epstein. 74th District Assembly Member Harvey Epstein will be visiting Tompkins Square to meet constituents. Epstein represents the East Side of Manhattan, including the East Village.
• Thursday, Sept. 6 at 5:30 pm: Meditation in Tompkins Square Park. In partnership with Science of Spirituality Center. The group meets outside the library. Please bring a mat, a blanket, or a chair. In case of rain, the classes will be moved inside the library. Use the link to register.
• Fridays, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28 at 3pm: Knitting Circle. Not a class, but a knitting group. Participants must bring their own supplies.
• Saturday, Sept. 8 at 2 pm: Russian Culture Club. A Russian language discussion of poet Yuriy Mandelshtam.
• Monday, Sept. 10 at 1 pm: Matinee Movie: "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" (1961; 103 mins.) Dir: José Quintero. A faded actress moves to Rome, where a countess introduces her to a virile young gigolo and much to their surprise, the affair between them becomes deeply felt, much to the anger of his madame. Starring Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty.
• Saturday, Sept. 15 at 10:30 am: Walking Tour: Immigrants of Tompkins Square Park. With Tompkins Square Library manager Corinne Neary and street photographer Michael Paul. Register using the link.
• Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 6 pm: Speaking Techniques and Vocal Exercises. The quality and use of the voice is a fundamental factor in life. This program can be helpful to anyone interested in making the most of their speech delivery.
• Thursday, Sept. 20 at 5:30 pm: Writing / Performance Lab. The intention is to provide artists in the community the opportunity to develop works-in-progress of writing pieces, theater texts, performance pieces and related projects. In addition to writers and performers, musicians, singers, dancers, etc., are welcome to participate.
• Monday, Sept. 24 at 1 pm: Matinee Movie: "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951; 125 mins.) Dir: Elia Kazan. A faded Southern belle moves in with her sister and brutish brother-in-law in New Orleans, where he torments her delicate sensibilities, and she becomes disconnected from reality. A Best Picture nominee. Starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh.
• Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 3:30-5 pm: Voter Registration Table. Are you registered to vote? September 25 is National Voter Registration Day, and we'll be helping people register from 3:30pm-5pm. Just stop by to fill out the form, and you'll be ready to vote on Nov. 6!
Wednesday, September 26 at 5pm: Film Screening: "Purple Noon" (Plein soleil) (1960; 119 mins.) Dir: René Clément. A ripe, colorful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's vicious novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Tom Ripley, a duplicitous American charmer, is in Rome on a mission to bring his privileged, devil-may-care acquaintance back to the United States. What initially seems a carefree tale of friendship soon morphs into a thrilling saga of seduction, identity theft, and murder. Starring Alain Delon.
Ongoing Tuesdays at 4 pm: Dominoes!
Ongoing Thursdays at 4 pm: Bingo!
The Ottendorfer Branch of the New York Public Library opened in 1884 as New York City's first free public library. Designed by German-born architect William Schickel, this landmark building combines Queen Anne and neo-Italian Renaissance styles with an exterior ornamented by innovative terracotta putti. The branch was a gift of Oswald Ottendorfer, owner of the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung newspaper.
The New York Public Library's oldest branch, the Ottendorfer Library, will close temporarily on August 6 to install a new fire alarm and life safety system. The 8,000-square-foot Ottendorfer Library opened in 1884 as New York City's first free public library.
The upgrades at Ottendorfer Library will strengthen the well-being of a historic New York City building as well as further support nearly 135 years of library service to the Lower East Side community.
Due to the building's age and landmark status, the project is expected to take six months. The branch ... will reopen in early 2019. While Ottendorfer Library is closed, patrons are advised to use the Tompkins Square Library at 331 East 10th Street.
• Fridays, July 6, 13, 20, 27 at 3 pm: Knitting Circle. Not a class, but a knitting group. Participants must bring their own supplies.
• Monday, July 9 at 1 pm: Monday Matinee Movie: "My Left Foot" (1989; 103 mins.) Dir: Jim Sheridan. Christy Brown, born with cerebral palsy, learns to paint and write with his only controllable limb — his left foot. Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelan.
• Tuesdays, July 10, 24, 31: Vinyasa Warrior Yoga. This class is open to all level practitioners from beginner to expert yogi. Please bring your own mat and towel.
• Tuesday, July 10 1-3 pm, and Monday, July 16 11 am-2 pm: Workforce 1 Job Fair. Workforce 1 will be recruiting for many open positions. Bring your resume and apply for jobs.
• Wednesday, July 11 at 5 pm: Film Screening: "Thoroughbreds" (2017; 92mins.) Dir: Cory Finley. Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems-no matter what the cost.
• Thursdays, July 12 and 26 at 1 pm: Shakespeare Reading and Discussion Group. The Shakespeare Reading and Discussion Group meets the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 1 pm in the second floor community room. The group will be discussing Richard II. Check at the first floor desk for copies.
• Saturday, July 14 at 3 pm: Saturday Matinee Movie: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964; 91 mins.) Dir: Jacques Demy. A young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision. Starring Catherine Deneuve. In French with English subtitles.
• Wednesday, July 18 at 6 pm: Ukulele Lessons for Beginners. Four 70-minute sessions: 07/18, 08/01, 08/15, 08/29. Please bring your own ukulele. Registration is required.
• Thursday, July 19 at 5:30 pm: Writing / Performance Lab. The intention is to provide artists in the community the opportunity to develop works-in-progress of writing pieces, theater texts, performance pieces and related projects. In addition to writers and performers, musicians, singers, dancers, etc., are welcome to participate.
• Monday, July 23 at 1 pm: Monday Matinee Movie: "Westworld" (1973; 88 min.) Dir: Michael Crichton. In a futuristic theme park, robots fulfill tourists' every fantasy, until they start to run amok. Starring Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Yul Brynner.
• Wednesday, July 25 at 5 pm: Film Screening: "A Quiet Place" (2018; 90 min.) Dir: John Krasinski. In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing. Starring Emily Blunt, John Krasinski.
Enjoy a visually informative one hour walking tour of Tompkins Square Park with your hosts, East Village street photographer Michael Paul and Tompkins Square Library Manager Corinne Neary, through the East Village's gathering place for picnics, festivals and community events ever since it opened in 1837.
In the mid 19th century the Square offered reprieve from a hard life for our country's new immigrants, in what was once the most densely populated neighborhood in America. See the statues, memorials, landmarks and yes, the trees that currently play home to our park's 21st century residents, the red-tailed hawks Christo and Dora [Ed note: and Amelia]!
The Tompkins Square Library branch on 10th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B is hosting an all-day Arts Festival on Dec. 13.
The day includes a variety of performances, workshops, films and displays by local artists from 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. You can find the full rundown here.
