The Bronx’s Fordham neighborhood has many attractions, such as the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, Fordham University, the New York Botanical Garden and the Zoo. However, there is another building that is visible from East Kingsbridge Road. It stands out significantly from the small buildings around it. A huge glass facade, a curved futuristic roof and a spacious terrace on the top floor distinguish it. It is not a shopping or office center, as it might seem at first glance. The Bronx Library Center is located here. Read more on i-bronx.
Read about the Bronx Botanical Garden and the outstanding woman associated with it in the article.
Historical reference
The first public library on this site was opened in 1923. It was not at all similar to a modern building and had several times fewer visitors. With the development of printing and the growth of New York’s population, the small library became insufficient after a few years. In 1931, it was decided to add one more to the standard library services, namely the reference one. This is how the Help Center appeared. In the 1950s, the problem of expansion became very acute. There was not enough space or staff in the library. Funds were allocated from the local budget and a renovated and expanded Library Center with a separate reference department opened in the Bronx in 1956.
Time passed, rapid progress absorbed New York. Once again, the library in the Bronx was too small to meet the needs of the population, which was growing exponentially, and to cope with the scaling of the information base in the context of digitization. Thus, the doors of the Library Center closed again in 2005. On January 17, 2006, they opened and invited visitors to a significantly enlarged, reconstructed and ergonomic space.
Architecture and interior of the new library
The construction of a new library building in the Bronx was approached with conscious and visionary responsibility. Construction cost $53 million. It has a classic modern design typical of megacities with a minimum of unnecessary elements, a combination of metal and glass, clear geometry and trivial forms. The project had an important mission — conscious consumption of resources and a focus on ecology. All rooms are equipped with electrical sensors that turn on the lights only when there are people inside.
Glass facades help to additionally save electricity, reducing its consumption by up to 20%. An innovative ventilation system has also been implemented, which reduces the percentage of use of air conditioners.
Just a few months after its opening, the Bronx Library Center received a silver LEED certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a globally recognized building certification program that confirms the use of the most efficient and environmentally friendly design and construction methods) and became the first green library in New York.
It is worth noting that the new library building is 20% made of recycled materials that remained after the dismantling of the old building.
Each floor is a separate space
The new Bronx Library Center is 78,000 square feet. It contains more than 300,000 volumes and a huge online database of materials from all fields.
In addition to various areas for working with books, the library has computer classrooms, conference rooms, public galleries and recreation areas.
For convenience and separation of visitors by age and requests, there is a separate space on each floor:
- Basement.
Several separate classrooms for group classes are located here. English language courses for foreigners are mostly held here. There are classes for reading, listening and writing. Classes for adults on the basics of computer literacy are also held here.
- First floor.
Adolescent center for children from 13 to 17 years old. In addition to a large selection of literature for this age, there is a significant base of CD-materials, as well as computers for processing Internet resources. In this department, teenagers can get qualified advice about colleges, the algorithm for admission to each of them, familiarize themselves with the study program and get other useful information in the field of education.
- Second floor.
Children’s center. Literature for children, interactive play areas, corners for drawing and relaxation, access to audio and video materials and the Internet. One can also get help with school homework here. On this floor, most of the interesting events and thematic meetings take place, such as family movie viewings, master classes, games, meetings with famous people and celebrations of various important events.
- Third floor.
This is the space for adults, which houses relevant literature. It has a separate department with periodicals and computers. For people with poor eyesight, there are special devices that allow one to enlarge texts and images several times.
- Fourth floor.
Research department. It contains a large collection of Latin American and Puerto Rican literature, as well as many materials from various areas of science.
There are 48 computers on this floor.
- Fifth floor.
There is a conference hall and job search services are provided in this part of the building.
The Bronx Library Center isn’t just about reading. Children and adults come here to gain knowledge, solve certain educational and career tasks, find like-minded people, take part in interesting activities, gain new skills and valuable experience.
Read the article about the International Exposition of Science, Arts and Industries in the Bronx.