New York Public Library’s Biggest Branch Reopens With $200M Upgrades

By: Ilana Siyance

On Tuesday, the New York Public Library’s largest branch reopened after renovations shuttered it for three years, and it continued to be mostly closed due to the pandemic. The building on 40th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, last updated in 1978, was gutted and transformed into a modern space, as per images of the interiors provided exclusively to The NY Post.

Most floors have been opened as of Tuesday June 1st at 1 pm, and New Yorkers can now come in for timed browsing and computer use as part of the Library’s gradual reopening following the COVID-19 closures. The branch boasts 400,000 books, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and an entire floor for kids and teens. The dramatic $200 million renovation spanned all eight floors, and added a delightful rooftop terrace free for the public, as per the NY Public Library. The building has been renamed the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, and it now boasts five floors of book stacks along with a 42-foot-tall atrium which connects to two floors of classrooms and meeting spaces. As reported by the Post, more seating areas for the public have been added to the once-bustling library. It now has 180,000 square feet of space. The renovation was paid for by the city and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which donated $55 million for the renovations, as per the NYPL.

“This library is exactly what New York needs right now: a truly open and public place accessible to all, where people of all ages and backgrounds can experience wonder, grow in their understanding of the world, and launch on new trajectories that enrich life for all of us,” said Andreas Dracopoulos, co-president of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

The building, built in 1915 as a department store and opened in 1970 as a library, is the largest and busiest NYPL branch— usually boasting over 1.7 million visits a year and an annual circulation of 2 million items. The project, completed by Tishman Construction was on budget, and on time for the planned grand opening in May 2020, coinciding with the Library’s 125th anniversary. Due to COVID-19 the library remained shut, and in July 2020, the first floor was opened only for grab-and-go book checkout service. The gradual reopening on Tuesday included a ribbon cutting ceremony in the morning. “It is the central circulating library New York City has long needed, wanted, and deserves… There is no more important or better timed civic infrastructure project to accomplish those ever present and pressing goals,” NYPL president Anthony Marx said in a statement.