Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building
About this property
The Central Library, originally the Ingersoll Memorial Library, is the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in Brooklyn, New York City. 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. The current structure was designed by the partnership of Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally in the Art Deco style, replacing a never-completed Beaux-Arts structure designed by Raymond Almirall. The building is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site of the library was selected in 1905, but groundbreaking for the Brooklyn Central Library did not begin until 1912. Escalating costs and political infighting slowed construction throughout the next two decades, and only the Flatbush Avenue wing of Almirall's building was ever completed. In 1935, Githens and Keally were commissioned to redesign the building in the Art Deco style; construction recommenced in 1938, and Almirall's building on Flatbush Avenue was largely demolished. The Central Library opened to the public on February 1, 1941, and its second floor opened in the mid-1950s. The structure was significantly renovated in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2020s. The Central Library is a four-story building that resembles an open book as viewed from the air. The modern facade is made of limestone and contains relatively little ornamentation, except around the main entrance on Grand Army Plaza. The main entrance facade, accessed by a raised terrace, is curved and contains various inscriptions, in addition to tall, gilded columns by C. Paul Jennewein and a screen by Thomas Hudson Jones. The Flatbush Avenue wing to the southeast is longer than the Eastern Parkway wing to the east; both wings contain decorative windows and additional entrances. The library's 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m2) interior is centered around a triple-height circulation room. There are various reading rooms on the first through third stories, as well as an auditorium beneath the main entrance terrace.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building
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Questions about this property
When was Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building listed on the National Register?
Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 2002.
What type of historic resource is Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building?
Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building?
The period of significance for Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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An Aubrey US report for an address near Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.