List of Carnegie libraries in New York City


The following list of Carnegie libraries in New York City provides detailed information on United States Carnegie libraries in New York City, where 67 libraries were built with funds from one grant totaling $5,202,261, awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York on December 8, 1899. Although the original grant was negotiated in 1899, most of the grant money was awarded as the libraries were built between 1901 and 1923.

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Carnegie libraries in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island

In Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, 39 libraries were built and became part of the New York Public Library.
LibraryBoroughImageLocationNotes
1115th StreetManhattan203 W. 115th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1908.
2125th StreetManhattan224 E. 125th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1904.
3135th StreetManhattan103 W. 135th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1905. Now part of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research center of The New York Public Library.
458th StreetManhattan121-7 East 58th StreetDesigned by Carrère & Hastings and opened May 10, 1907. It was demolished and replaced by a new branch in two floors of an office tower at 127 East 58th Street, which opened in 1969.
567th StreetManhattan328 E. 67th St.
Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard in the style of the Yorkville branch and opened in 1905, this building has undergone two extensive renovations in the 1950s and 2005.
696th StreetManhattan112 E. 96th St.
Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard and opened in September 22, 1905.
7AguilarManhattan174 E. 110th St.
Designed by Herts & Tallant, this building opened as a branch of The New York Public Library in November 1905. "This library is apparently not an entirely new building but is rather an extensive renovation of the earlier Aguilar Library building on the same site."
8Chatham SquareManhattan33 E. Broadway
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1903.
9ColumbusManhattan742 10th Ave.
Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard and opened in 1909.
10EpiphanyManhattan228 E. 23rd St.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in September 1907.
11FordhamThe Bronx2556 Bainbridge Ave.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1923, this building was the Fordham Library Center, The New York Public Library's central branch in the Bronx, through 2005, when it closed and was replaced by the newly built Bronx Library Center.
12Fort WashingtonManhattan535 W. 179th St.
Designed by Cook & Welch and opened in April 1914.
13Hamilton FishManhattan388-92 East Houston StreetDesigned by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1909, the building was razed during the widening of Houston Street. A public housing project now stands at its original site. A new Hamilton Fish Park Branch opened at 415 East Houston Street in 1960.
14Hamilton GrangeManhattan503 W. 145th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1907.
15HarlemManhattan9 W. 124th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1909, this building was renovated in 2004 at a cost of nearly $4 million.
16High BridgeThe Bronx78 W. 168th St.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1908. Demolished in 1975 and replaced by a new High Bridge Branch on the same site.
17Hudson ParkManhattan66 Leroy St.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1906.
18Hunts PointThe Bronx877 Southern Blvd.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and completed in 1929, this was the final Carnegie building added to the New York Public Library system.
19KingsbridgeThe Bronx3041 Kingsbridge Ave.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened May 19, 1905. This branch outgrew its original building and closed in 1958. It is now the Spuyten Duyvil Preschool.
20MelroseThe Bronx910 Morris Ave.
A Carrère & Hastings design, this branch opened January 16, 1914. It was originally four stories but was reduced to two in 1959.
21MorrisaniaThe Bronx610 E. 169th St.
Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard and opened in 1908.
22Mott HavenThe Bronx321 E. 140th St.
The oldest library building in the Bronx, this branch opened in 1905, designed by Babb, Cook & Willard.
23MuhlenbergManhattan209 W. 23rd St.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings, this branch opened February 19, 1906.
24Port RichmondStaten Island75 Bennett St.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1905.
25RiversideManhattan190 Amsterdam Ave.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1905, this building stood until 1969, when it was replaced by a new one on the same 69th St site. That branch was replaced by another in 1992, at 127 Amsterdam Ave & 65th St.
26Rivington StreetManhattan61 Rivington St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1905, the building is now a church.
27Saint AgnesManhattan444 Amsterdam Ave.
Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard, this branch opened in 1906.
28Saint Gabriel's ParkManhattan303-5 East 36th StreetDesigned by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1908. Razed in order to construct the Queens–Midtown Tunnel.
29Saint GeorgeStaten Island5 Central Ave.
Known today as the St. George Library Center, this Carrère & Hastings work opened on June 26, 1907, and is the largest library on Staten Island.
30Seward ParkManhattan192 E. Broadway
Designed by Babb, Cook & Willard, this branch opened on November 11, 1909.
31StapletonStaten Island132 Canal St.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1907.
32Tompkins SquareManhattan331 E. 10th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White, this branch opened in 1904.
33TottenvilleStaten Island7430 Amboy Rd.
A Carrère & Hastings design, this branch opened in 1904.
34TremontThe Bronx1866 Washington Ave.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings and opened in 1905.
35Washington HeightsManhattan1000 St. Nicholas Ave.
Designed by Carrère & Hastings, this branch opened in 1914.
36WebsterManhattan1465 York Ave.
This Babb, Cook & Willard work opened on October 24, 1906.
37West 40th StreetManhattan457 West 40th StreetDesigned by Cook & Welch, this building opened in 1913 and is now part of the Covenant House complex.
38WoodstockThe Bronx761 E. 160th St.
Designed by McKim, Mead & White and opened in 1914.
39YorkvilleManhattan222 E. 79th St.
Designed by James Brown Lord, this branch opened December 13, 1902, the first Carnegie library built in New York City.

Carnegie libraries in Brooklyn

received $1.6 million of the entire grant to construct 21 libraries for the Brooklyn Public Library.
LibraryImageLocationNotes
1Arlington203 Arlington Ave. at Warwick St.Originally known as the East Branch and officially opened on November 7, 1906; renovated from 1950–52 and in 1980.
2Bedford496 Franklin AvenueThis Library plan was recognized as an excellent example of library planning and design in the March 1903 issue of Library Journal. It was built using Carnegie funds. In 2000, an interior renovation and exterior restoration by Sen Architects was completed.
3Brownsville61 Glenmore AvenueThe first Brownsville Branch opened in 1905 on the second floor of the Alliance Building after the Hebrew Educational Society donated its books. The Carnegie-built branch, which opened at 61 Glenmore Avenue on December 19, 1908, continues to operate today.
4Bushwick340 Bushwick AvenueBushwick Library opened in the rented first floor of a church at Montrose Avenue and Humboldt Street in 1903 before moving to its present location on Bushwick Avenue in 1908.
5Carroll Park 396 Clinton Street at Union StreetDesigned by William B. Tubby, this location opened at 396 Clinton Street on March 3, 1905 and was originally called the Carroll Park Branch, until the name was changed to Carroll Gardens in 1973. A predecessor library operated out of a rented space at Smith Street and Carroll Streets from 1901 until completion of this building, which still serves the community today.
6DeKalb790 Bushwick AvenueLocated on bustling Bushwick Avenue in the neighborhood of the same name, DeKalb Library originally opened its doors on February 11, 1905. One of Brooklyn's most beautiful Carnegie branches, the building was designed by the Brooklyn architect William Tubby in the Classical Revival style. Many of the original features in this three-bay brick and limestone building remain today, including its spacious, high-ceilinged reading rooms. The library was rehabilitated in 1950.
7Eastern Parkway1044 Eastern ParkwayThis medium-sized library, built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie, was designed with a classical limestone facade with large arched windows and entrance portal.
8Flatbush22 Linden Blvd. at Flatbush Ave.Flatbush Library has served patrons in its present location on Linden Boulevard since 1905; it was the sixth library built in Brooklyn with funds from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The building was designed by Rudolphe L. Daus, but an extensive renovation in 1934 has rendered the building almost unrecognizable.
9Fort Hamilton9424 Fourth Ave.This library started out as an independent free library and was absorbed into Brooklyn Public Library in 1901. The building was designed by the Lord & Hewlett architecture firm and formally opened at 9424 Fourth Avenue on October 16, 1907.
10GreenpointThe original Greenpoint Library opened in 1906 and was one of Brooklyn's first Carnegie libraries, but the building's deterioration necessitated its replacement in the early 1970s.
11Leonard81 Devoe St. at Leonard St., WilliamsburgThe Leonard Branch was officially opened on December 1, 1908 at its current site at Devoe and Leonard Streets. The one-story classically styled building, designed by William B. Tubby, has an elegantly designed interior of 10,000 square feet that originally featured molded skylights, wood paneling and wood-trimmed windows.
12Macon361 Lewis Avenue, Bedford-StuyversantThe 11th Carnegie Brooklyn library, beautiful, historic Macon Library is one of the best preserved Carnegie branches in Brooklyn. Opened in 1907, the two-story, Classical Revival-style building retains its original fireplaces, oak paneling, alcoves and wooden benches, along with the warm charm that has welcomed patrons for more than 100 years.
13Pacific25 4th Avenue at Pacific StreetThe Pacific Branch was the first of the Carnegie-funded libraries to open in Brooklyn, on October 8, 1904. Architect Raymond F. Almirall designed the building, at 25 Fourth Avenue, and was hired again as architect after the building suffered structural damages due to BMT subway construction in 1914. Upon its opening, New York Tribune praised the branch for its classical and dignified design.
14Prospect 431 6th Ave. at 9th St.This library began life as a small collection of books on natural history in the Litchfield Mansion in Prospect Park. In 1906, the building, designed by Raymond Almirall was finished, using Carnegie funds.
15Red HookThe original Red Hook Library, opened on April 22, 1915, was the only of Brooklyn's Carnegie libraries to be built in the Mediterranean Revival style. The architect, Richard A. Walker, accented the original interior of the building with decorative wooden staircases, pendant light fixtures and clerestory windows. This architectural gem was forced to close in August 1946 after suffering extensive damage from a fire, and was demolished soon after.
16Saratoga8 Thomas S Boyland Street Saratoga Library is a Classical Revival-style Carnegie branch with a distinctive Spanish tile roof and a storied history. Opened in 1908, Saratoga was renovated in 1958, 1974 and 1990.
17South51st street and 4th AvenueSouth Branch opened to the public on December 9, 1905 on the same site the Sunset Park branch occupies today. The original two-story, Classical Revival-style building, designed by architects Lord & Hewlett, was demolished in 1970.
18Stone Avenue581 Mother Gaston BoulevardOriginally constructed to relieve overcrowding at the nearby Brownsville branch, Stone Avenue Library was one of the last Carnegie libraries built in Brooklyn. Officially opened on September 24, 1914, it was originally called the Brownsville Children's Library and is believed to have been the first library in the world devoted exclusively to serving children. Designed by architect William B. Tubby in the Jacobethan style, many of the original architectural details that distinguished the branch as a place for children remain, including the Rookwood storybook fireplace tiles and the original carved wooden benches with rabbit-head finials.
19Walt Whitman93 Saint Edwards Street, Ft GreeneOriginally called the City Park Branch, this library was renamed to honor Walt Whitman in 1943, on the 125th anniversary of his birth. The branch once boasted a naval architecture and science collection, to serve the workers of the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
20Washington Irving360 Irving Ave. Bushwick Washington Irving Library was the 21st and final Carnegie library built in Brooklyn.
21Williamsburg240 Division Avenue Although the branch didn’t open until 1905, it is often considered the first of Brooklyn's Carnegie libraries. Thousands, including Mayor Seth Low, came out with much fanfare for a ceremony in November 1903, when a time capsule of documents including a copy of the Carnegie contract was laid in the cornerstone of the building at 240 Division Avenue.

Carnegie libraries in Queens

received $240,000 from the grant and built seven libraries for the Queens Public Library.
LibraryImageLocationNotes
1Astoria14-01 Astoria Blvd.
2Elmhurst86-01 Broadway
Demolished 2012
3Far RockawayDestroyed by fire in 1962
4FlushingKissena Boulevard and Main StreetDemolished in 1955
5Poppenhusen121-23 14th Ave. and
13-16 College Point Blvd.
6Richmond Hill118-14 Hillside Ave.
7Woodhaven85-41 Forest Pkwy.