New Rochelle's Tiniest And Most Stylish Library Opens

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — This week, civic leaders unveiled the city’s newest “little free library” at the New Rochelle train station with an oversized ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion. The pint-sized book-lending kiosk is just the latest installment in an initiative that brought teeny libraries to several locations around the city, including Glenwood Lakes, Hudson Park, Huguenot Park, Lincoln Park, the Columbus School and Ward Acres Park.

Each of the lending kiosks were created by artists with ties to New Rochelle. This latest trackside work of art was created by Charles Fazzino. While Fazzino’s reputation is global, his studios are in town. He also serves as a board member of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts.

“We are so grateful that an artist of such international stature as Charles Fazzino continues to be invested in the cultural dynamism of New Rochelle,” Mayor Noam Bramson said at the unveiling of the teensy new library.

Measuring nearly seven feet long, the Fazzino-inspired library is the largest of the city’s pop-up book lending kiosks. The brightly colored library includes a seating area in the form of giant red lips, offering readers and commuters a chance to relax while browsing the “stacks.”

Each of the city’s seven “take-a-book-leave-a-book" kiosks are maintained and occasionally restocked by a dedicated volunteer from the community. The Fazzino pop-up library was made a reality through a partnership with the New Rochelle Public Library and the Department of Parks and Recreation, My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle, the New Rochelle Council on the Arts and ArtsWestchester.

“Charles Fazzino’s Pop-up Library kiosk is a statement piece,” New Rochelle Council on the Arts President Theresa Kump Leghorn said. “We are grateful to the City of New Rochelle for allowing us to place it at the train station, where we feel it reinforces the city’s image as an arts-friendly community that embraces both the visual and the literary arts.”