Mid-Manhattan Public Library Will Get Full-Body Makeover in 2018

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The New York Public Library's Board of Trustees just green-lighted a fresh (and expensive) new look for the system's iconic Mid-Manhattan branch at 5th Avenue and 40th Street.

The top-to-bottom library renovation project will begin in 2018, and the finished product will increase public space by a whopping 35 percent, according to the library. The new building will also boast midtown's only free public terrace. The additional space will undoubtedly help the library absorb its more than 1.7 million visit per year.

There will be a renewed focus on employment, too: an employment skills center will take up an entire floor, while another floor will feature job-search help and assistance for small businesses. To that end, a part of the library will be dedicated to business.

And, while the current Mid-Manhattan library lacks spaces specifically geared for children, the new library will have an entire floor dedicated for children and teens.

“New Yorkers will soon have the central circulating library that they need and deserve,” New York Public Library's President, Tony Marx, said in a statement. “This library will transform lives by providing books, classes, and programs for New Yorkers of all ages, and it will transform our city—as it will be a model for how libraries can strengthen communities.”

The current library first opened in the 1970s and was built at the site of what was supposed to be a department store.

Photo of the New York Public Library via Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle