NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The first new Brooklyn Public Library branch in 40 years opened on Adams Street in DUMBO Tuesday morning.
The new branch is the 60th in the system and the first new library to be built in Brooklyn since 1983.
According to Brooklyn Public Library, the new branch is part of an effort to expand and revitalize the network to create “modern, inspiring and innovative spaces to serve the next generation of library patrons.”
“Adams Street is the first new library in Brooklyn in nearly four decades and a model for all public libraries in the decades to come,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. “We’re grateful to our partners at WORKac for helping us realize a 21st-century library that’s both artful and accessible, beautiful and versatile, and we can’t wait for the entire DUMBO community to bring it to life.”
The new branch, which was designed and built by WORK Architecture Company (WORKac), will serve residents of Vinegar Hill, DUMBO and Farragut, according to Johnson.
Brooklyn Public Library said the focal point of the new library will be the bright, whimsical area for children, located on an elevated area in the center of the building so that children can see out of windows during story time and play.
“We placed the children’s area at the heart of this project, because they are who draw a community together,” said Amale Andraos, a principal at WORKac.
Teenagers also have their own space, according to the library system, which is part of a larger initiative within New York City libraries to provide safe areas for teens to do homework and relax.
The library is located on the ground floor of a historic manufacturing plant. In addition to books and other resources, the library will also house meeting rooms and programming spaces with modern technology.
“The neighborhood is both new and old,” said Dan Wood, her partner, also principal at WORKac. “And our design plays with that, combining very contemporary shapes and spaces with the existing, painted brick and exposed timber ceilings.”
The space overlooks Brooklyn Bridge Park and boasts views of Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.
The library cost a total of $7.2 million and funding was provided by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Member Stephen Levin, the New York State Education Department and with proceeds from the redevelopment of Brooklyn Heights Library, according to Brooklyn Public Library.
This expansion is part of the largest spate of library redevelopment since the Carnegie era, the system added.