Central Library Located at Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway on Grand Army Plaza near the Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Park Slope neighborhoods, Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library contains over a million cataloged books, magazines, and multimedia materials. RT @BeyLegion: Beyonc & Blue Ivy at the Brooklyn Central Library tonight, celebrating the center's newest exhibit honoring JAY-Z's work throughout his career. [293] In the basement (designated as the lower level), near the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway,[298] is the Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center, a 189-seat auditorium that opened in 2007. Central Library Today's hours 10:00AM-8:00PM 89-11 Merrick Boulevard Jamaica, NY 11432 (718) 990-0700 24/7 drop-off for materials Wheelchair accessible Branch Map Get directions Branch Hours Sunday: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Monday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Tuesday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Wednesday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm Thursday: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm The new spaces would include a phone-reference room and a book processing department on the first floor; a reading room, microfilm area, and research cubicles on the second floor; and remodeled offices and a larger cafeteria on the third floor. [226] The renovation allowed the BPL to begin circulating books that had previously been stored in the building's stacks. Designed to resemble an open book, Central Library is clad in limestone with impressive Art Deco detailing by sculptors Thomas Hudson Jones and Carl P. Jennewein. The Main or Central Library of the Brooklyn Public Library (Ingersoll Memorial) on Grand Army Plaza at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York City was built in 1941 and was designed by Alfred Morton Githens & Francis Keally, with bas-relief sculptures by C. Paul Jennewein and sculptures by Thomas H. Jones. [314][315] he longer Flatbush Avenue wing would have had the public rooms, while the shorter Eastern Parkway wing would have been used as offices. [292] There are literary motifs and classical decorations on the upper two stories,[282] as well as single-pane windows. [266] The library was temporarily closed from March 2020 to May 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. The BPL also planned to build a footbridge to Mount Prospect Park and rearranging storage spaces in the basement. [43][44] Local architect Raymond F. Almirall, who had designed three Carnegie libraries in Brooklyn,[45] was hired that July to design the Brooklyn Central Library. Public access to the Government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. [292] Within each bay, the windows on each story are divided vertically into a large central portion flanked by narrower panes on either side. [239] After the computers were installed in October 1996,[240] there was extremely high demand for the computers. [308] The rear of the first floor originally contained a reading room adjacent to a small garden. [284] Between the windows on different stories are dark-green spandrel panels which are described as being made of Virginia alvarene stone. [298] The Flatbush Avenue wing of the first floor originally contained a reading room measuring 180 by 40 feet (55 by 12m). [248][249] The wing's main room was named for Yetta and Louis Schwartz, whose daughter had donated $1 million to the BPL. Central Library Home About Events & News Services Visit Visit Visit / Locations / Central Library Find a Library Holidays & Closures Locations Available Services Wed-Sat: 10am to 6pm 7:30AM - 10:30PM Contact Central Library 600 Soledad St San Antonio, TX 78205 210.207.2500 Map 600 Soledad St 210.207.2500 Directions View Larger Map + - Located on Grand Army Plaza, at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway, it contains over 1.7 million materials in its collection and has a million annual visitors. iPhone & Android. [58][61] Test borings for the site commenced in July 1911,[62] and plans for the Flatbush Avenue wing were filed with the Bureau of Buildings in January 1912. CLIENT: Brooklyn Public Library. [286][291] This foyer originally had wood wainscoting,[158] as well as green walls and a blue ceiling, intended to encourage patrons to enter the circulation room. Learn more. [2] The site has dimensions of 610 feet (190m) on Flatbush Avenue, 581 feet (177m) to the east, and 416 feet (127m) on Eastern Parkway. [266] In its early years, the Central Library's exhibits included a showcase of books written by children[323] and an exhibit of foreign-born Americans' inventions. [104], The Board of Estimate voted in November 1928 to authorize the issuance of up to $1.25 million in stock for the Central Library's completion,[107][108] and Brooklyn officials began soliciting bids for the building's completion. [212] The auditorium, which was supposed to be completed in mid-2007,[253][254] opened that October and was named for S. Stevan Dweck, a doctor who donated $1.5 million. [298], As built, the ground story (designated as the first floor)[b] was intended to contain the building's primary spaces, including the general circulation room and a children's library. The library was designated a New York City Landmark in 1997 and joined the Na Location & Hours Suggest an edit 10 Grand Army Plz [244] The children's library, in particular, was frequently overcrowded because of the lack of a courtyard and because the computers in the room were extremely popular. [135][136] The original Beaux-Arts design was completely scrapped in favor of an Art Deco design, and the building was redesigned with a fan-shaped plan. [209] Although Christopher Gray of The New York Times wrote in 2004 that the building was an "impressive, Moderne-style, wedge-shaped structure" but that its "impressive site is in fact one of its biggest disadvantages" because of the high amounts of traffic on Grand Army Plaza. [184][a] Because the basement and second story were largely unfinished, some of the offices were housed within the reading room and within a completed portion of the second story. #TheBookofHOV Brooklyn Public Library, Central Library http - Twitter There is another set of iron gates to the south, behind which the building's eastern elevation is visible. Discover our locations across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. [94][95] Only one story of one wing had been completed and was covered with a temporary roof. The Central Library is a four-story building that resembles an open book as viewed from the air. [140][141] Ingersoll requested $2 million from the Board of Estimate in January 1937. [121], The Board of Estimate appropriated $900,000 for the second floor in August 1952, at which point increasing material costs had caused the project's price to rise to $1.125 million. [104] The Waters Company demolished the existing Tennessee marble facade,[104][105] which was expected to reduce total construction costs by $2 million. The BPL system has ongoing event programming around hip-hop's fiftieth anniversary, but the way our source described the installations at the central branch, it sounds like the exhibit is less a celebration of Brooklyn's, or even Roc Nation's contribution to hip hop history and more a personal shrine to Jay-Z himself, including highlighting "boo. [282], Occupying over 350,000 square feet (33,000m2)[294] and employing 300 full-time staff members, the building serves as the administrative headquarters for the Brooklyn Public Library system. Brooklyn's chief librarian Milton J. Ferguson said at the time: "The result of all the elaborate art of the building will be dark reading rooms, book shelves hard to reach, anything but what a modern library should be. [137], Local leaders formed a committee in February 1936 to advocate for the building's completion. 14 Jul 2023 03:38:11 [11] City experts recommended that, as a money-saving measure, the expensive Tennessee marble facade of the first story be replaced with cheaper limestone or Missouri marble. [321][322], The Brooklyn Central Library has hosted numerous events throughout its existence and is visited by over 1.3 million people per year as of 2021[update]. [250][251] By 2005, more than $14 million had been raised for the terrace and auditorium. [5][6] Land acquisition began in 1860,[5] but the onset of the American Civil War delayed further development of the park;[6] following the war, the land to the east of Flatbush Avenue was excluded from the park. [284][287], At the center of the facade is a rectangular doorway flanked by 50-foot-tall (15m) columns. Next week on July 21st, 2023, two highly-anticipated films with award-winning directors are debuting on the big screen: Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. [195] Consequently, when the building was completed, about two-thirds of the interior was used for administrative purposes. It is home tothe Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center, our premiere programming series BPL Presents;the Shelby White & Leon Levy Information Commons, an innovative public coworking and meeting space offering the latest technology; and theBusiness and Career Center, offering books, resources and assistance on job search, small business entrepreneurshipand personal finance. [181][305][306] The stairs and escalators from the first-floor foyer lead to landings at the northern and southwestern ends of the balcony. [9] In the long run, the BPL wanted to build a central library and a series of branch libraries throughout the borough of Brooklyn. [295] The building was intended to seat 3,000 patrons at once,[137] and it could fit about one million[296] or two million books in its stacks. This celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month will be located at the Central Library (10 Grand Army Plaza) and will take place Sunday, June 26th at 1 PM. [305] Catalog cases were placed on the rear wall of the circulation room[308] until their removal in the 1990s. BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY - Passports and Visas.com [70][71] Workers were also busy excavating the building's foundations,[72] but foundation contractor Charles Meads reported that the work was several months behind schedule because of inclement weather, loose ground, and a lack of funding. [290] The screen is split into 15 square panels, each of which are gilded and depict a literary character. Barbieheimer: Which is your choice? | Brooklyn Public Library [3] The main entrance, at the northeast corner of the building, is recessed behind a raised terrace. [63], Construction of the Brooklyn Central Library's first section spanned multiple mayoral administrations with varying levels of interest in completing the building.