Business & Career Library

Last updated
Former Brooklyn Heights Library, demolished in 2015 Brooklyn Heights Library.jpg
Former Brooklyn Heights Library, demolished in 2015

The Business & Career Library was a branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) at 280 Cadman Plaza West in Brooklyn Heights, near Downtown Brooklyn, in New York City. Its history precedes that of the BPL itself. In 1852, prominent citizens established the Brooklyn Athenaeum and Reading Room for the instruction of young men. In 1857, a group of young men established the Brooklyn Mercantile Library Association of the City of Brooklyn, which shared a building with the Athenaeum. The Mercantile Library attempted to be more practical, placing less emphasis on Literature and philosophy. The librarian in charge was Stephen Buttrick Noyes. In 1866, he went to work at the Library of Congress. [1]

In 1869, the Mercantile Library and the Athenaeum consolidated their holdings and moved to a new building, the Montague Street Branch Library. Also in 1869, Noyes returned, and one of his labors on his return was the preparation of a catalog, which was issued in 1881. [1] In 1878, the Mercantile Library was renamed the Brooklyn Library. By 1943, the Business Reference Department was known as the Business Library. The library outgrew its space, and in 1957, a new building to house both the Business Library and the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood branch was approved by city government. On June 1, 1962, the new $2.5 million library building opened its doors to the public at its current location. In 1993, a two-year renovation and expansion was completed; the renovated building housed both the Brooklyn Heights branch and Business & Career Library.

In 2013, BPL announced its intent to sell 280 Cadman Plaza West, and as part of this announcement, the Business and Career Library's functions were relocated to BPL's Central Branch. [2] BPL then sold the branch to developer Hudson Companies. [3] [4] Hudson Companies then demolished the structure and replaced it with a 34-story condominium, which would contain a smaller Brooklyn Heights branch library at its base when it is completed in 2020. [5] In the interim, the BPL opened a temporary branch at 109 Remsen Street. [6] In June 2022, the condominium building was completed, and the new library at its base was opened. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Public Library</span> Library in Massachusetts, US

The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; all adult residents of the commonwealth are entitled to borrowing and research privileges, and the library receives state funding. The Boston Public Library contains approximately 24 million items, making it the third-largest public library in the United States behind the federal Library of Congress and the New York Public Library, which is also privately endowed. In fiscal year 2014, the library held more than 10,000 programs, all free to the public, and lent 3.7 million materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Public Library</span> Public library system in New York City

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two other public library systems in New York City, it is an independent nonprofit organization that is funded by the city and state governments, the federal government, and private donors. The library currently promotes itself as Bklyn Public Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Heights</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, and the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway or the East River on the west. Adjacent neighborhoods are Dumbo to the north, Downtown Brooklyn to the east, and Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Brooklyn</span> Central business district in New York City

Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City, and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and residential buildings, such as the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower and the MetroTech Center office complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Park, Brooklyn</span> Development in Brooklyn, New York

Pacific Park is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project by Forest City Ratner that will consist of 17 high-rise buildings, under construction in Prospect Heights, adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, New York City. The project overlaps part of the Atlantic Terminal Urban Renewal Area, but also extends toward the adjacent brownstone neighborhood. Of the 22-acre (8.9 ha) project, 8.4 acres (3.4 ha) is located over a Long Island Rail Road train yard. A major component of the project is the Barclays Center sports arena, which opened on September 21, 2012. Formerly named Atlantic Yards, the project was renamed by the developer in August 2014 as part of a rebranding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Bridge Park</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn Bridge Park is an 85-acre (34 ha) park on the Brooklyn side of the East River in New York City. Designed by landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the park is located on a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) plot of land from Atlantic Avenue in the south, under the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and past the Brooklyn Bridge, to Jay Street north of the Manhattan Bridge. From north to south, the park includes the preexisting Empire–Fulton Ferry and Main Street Parks; the historic Fulton Ferry Landing; and Piers 1–6, which contain various playgrounds and residential developments. The park also includes Empire Stores and the Tobacco Warehouse, two 19th-century structures, and is a part of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway, a series of parks and bike paths around Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broken Angel House</span> Building formerly located in Brooklyn, New York, demolished in 2014

Broken Angel or the Broken Angel house was a building located at 4/6 Downing Street in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, at the intersection of Downing and Quincy street. The house was featured prominently as a backdrop in the film Dave Chappelle's Block Party and was demolished in 2014.

The Villa Magna Condominium Complex was an urban development that was planned to rise on a 2.5-acre (1.0-hectare) plot in Brickell, downtown Miami, Florida. It was approved in 2006 by the city council and the Federal Aviation Administration and construction was slated to begin in April 2007. The ending date was approximated to be late 2008 or early 2009; however, the housing crisis of the late 2000s halted the project. The project was revived as The Towers by Foster + Partners in 2016, after FAA approval of supertall heights. Done in the early 2020s the site was sold again to Citadel Group who planned a move to Miami from Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congregation Shaare Zedek (Manhattan)</span>

Congregation Shaare Zedek is a Conservative synagogue located on West 93rd Street in Manhattan.

Mapleton is a neighborhood in southern Brooklyn, New York City, bounded by 16th Avenue on the west, Dahill Road on the east, 57th Street on the north, and 65th Street on the south. It borders Bensonhurst and Borough Park to the west, and Midwood to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Savings Bank</span> Bank in Brooklyn, New York

The Brooklyn Savings Bank was a building in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York, designed by prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman. Completed in 1894, it was considered one of Freeman's finest works, but in spite of its widely recognized architectural significance, the building was demolished in 1964, shortly before the designation of the neighborhood as a historic district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Mercantile Library</span> Not-for-profit organization in New York City

The Center for Fiction, originally called the New York Mercantile Library, is a not-for-profit organization in New York City, with offices at 15 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Prior to their move in early 2018, The Center for Fiction was located at 17 East 47th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues in Midtown Manhattan. The center works to promote fiction and literature and to give support to writers. It originated in 1820 as the Mercantile Library and in 2005 changed its name to the Mercantile Library Center for Fiction, although it presents itself as simply "The Center for Fiction".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brooklyn Tower</span> Skyscraper in Brooklyn, New York

The Brooklyn Tower is a supertall mixed-use, primarily residential skyscraper in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City. Developed by JDS Development Group, it is situated on the north side of DeKalb Avenue near Flatbush Avenue. The main portion of the skyscraper is a 93-story, 1,073-foot (327 m) residential structure designed by SHoP Architects. Preserved at the skyscraper's base is the Dime Savings Bank Building, designed by Mowbray and Uffinger, which dates to the 1900s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Clinton Street</span> Building in Brooklyn, New York

1 Clinton Street is a primarily residential building under development in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The building will replace a preexisting branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. It is being developed by Hudson Companies and designed by Marvel Architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterline Square</span> Residential skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11 Hoyt</span> Skyscraper in Brooklyn, New York

11 Hoyt is a residential skyscraper in the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, designed by architect Studio Gang with executive architect Hill West and developed by real estate conglomerate Tishman Speyer.

Pinnacle was a proposed two-tower condo hotel project that was to be built near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The project was announced in 2005, and would have included 1,104 units across two 36-story towers. Construction was to begin in 2006, but was delayed several times. Pinnacle was ultimately canceled in March 2008, due to financing issues caused by the Great Recession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Trust Company Building</span> Historic building in Brooklyn, New York

The Brooklyn Trust Company Building is a bank and residential building at 177 Montague Street in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Constructed for the Brooklyn Trust Company from 1913 to 1916, it occupies a site between Montague Street to the south, Clinton Street to the west, and Pierrepont Street to the north. The Brooklyn Trust Company Building was designed by York and Sawyer in the Renaissance Revival style and is patterned after the Palazzo della Gran Guardia in the Italian city of Verona. The building's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. 1 2 Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Noyes, George Rapall"  . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography . New York: D. Appleton.
  2. "Brooklyn business library to abandon Downtown; future of Brooklyn Heights and Carnegie branches in doubt". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 15, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  3. Walker, Ameena (March 7, 2017). "Brooklyn Heights Library demolition is approved by the city". Curbed NY. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  4. "NYC approves demolition of Brooklyn Heights Library, paving way for luxury tower". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 6, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  5. Plitt, Amy (January 8, 2019). "In Brooklyn Heights, condos on former library site launch sales from $1.088M". Curbed NY. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  6. Leon, Alexandra (July 26, 2016). "Temporary Brooklyn Heights Library Opens in New Home". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  7. Bradley-Smith, Anna (2022-06-08). "Brooklyn Heights Library Opens in Sleek New Digs at Base of Condo Tower". Brownstoner. Retrieved 2023-05-25.

40°41′45″N73°59′29″W / 40.6957°N 73.9913°W / 40.6957; -73.9913