NEW YORK CITY—The New York Public Midtown-Manhattan Library will be getting an upgrade to increase space and renovate its entrance. The renovation will provide technical, functional and architectural changes, including offering more modern library services.
The Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo and the New York City-based firm Beyer Blinder Belle are designing the $200 million project.
The renovated facility will have 35% more public space and on-site capacity for nearly half a million books and materials. The reconfigured interior will feature a “Long Room,” a five-story wall of books, stacks and meeting rooms. The library will also feature a free public roof terrace.
The branch will feature 17,000 square feet of general reading and study space including seating for 1,500 patrons and 11,000 square feet of multi-purpose space for classes, events, consultations and seminars.
New York Public Library COO Iris Weinshall says, “The long-awaited transformation of the New York Public Library's central circulating branch Mid-Manhattan Library will greatly improve service in midtown Manhattan,” adding that it will help the library in its mission to serve all New Yorkers into the future.
However, a volunteer organization, the Committee to Save NYPL, is requesting greater transparency on how public funds are used for the renovations. They also have concerns about access to hard copy books and the library's focus on research. As more digital technology increases available space that traditionally served functions for research and housing books, the potential for and resulting use of space to host events could increase.
CBRE has been named the project manager for the architectural renovation, with the team of Frank Alvarado, Bret Keeney, Chris Van Cleef and Michael Gellis.
Matthew Van Buren, president Northeast Division, CBRE, says the company's project management and consulting teams are committed to delivering a beautiful amenity which will strengthen the legacy of public libraries and what they mean to New York City.
Originally built in 1914 to house the Arnold Constable department store, the Mid-Manhattan Library has been in the building since 1970. It has been the NYPL's largest and busiest circulating library, with more than 1.7 million visits each year and an annual circulation of two million publications and items.
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Betsy Kim
Betsy Kim was the bureau chief, East Coast, and New York City reporter for Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. As a lawyer and journalist, Betsy has worked as the director of editorial and content for LexisNexis Lawyers.com, a TV/multi-media journalist for NBC and CBS affiliated TV stations in the Midwest, and an associate producer at Court TV.
