A First Look at a New Public Library Complex in the Bronx

"The 65-year-old Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx is about to be replaced. First renderings of the new public library show a brick-lattice façade on the first two floors and a double-height reading space that looks airy and bright. But perhaps the most unusual feature of the library is not what's inside but what's on top of the stacks: 113 affordable, rent-stabilized units."

"As a ground-up new construction, the Grand Concourse library will benefit from new technology; it will be the NYPL's first Passive House-certified library. Plus, there's good news for fans of the Lorrie Goulet sculpture on the façade of the current library - it will be preserved and installed above the new entryway. The project will be developed by nonprofit organization Settlement Housing Fund and Kalel Companies, a real-estate firm that specializes in affordable housing."

Grand Concourse Library in the Bronx will be replaced with a new ground-up building featuring a brick-lattice façade on the first two floors and a double-height, airy reading space. The development will include 113 affordable, rent-stabilized housing units above the library as part of HPD's Living Libraries program within the City of Yes for Families initiative, combining library renovations with new affordable housing on city-owned lots. The project joins other Living Libraries in the city and reflects similar efforts in Chicago and Boston. The new building will be the NYPL's first Passive House-certified library and will retain the Lorrie Goulet sculpture above the entry.

Read at Curbed