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Mid-Manhattan Library to Close for 3 Years to Add Rooftop Terrace

By Shaye Weaver | June 27, 2017 3:01pm
 The newly renovated branch will have a wall of bookshelves, a full-floor business library, a floor dedicated to libraries for children and teens, the only free public roof terrace in Midtown, and hundreds of additional seating, museum officials said.
Mid-Manhattan Library Renderings
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MIDTOWN — The Mid-Manhattan Public Library branch will close on August 1 to undergo three-year, $151 million renovation that will include multi-story wall of bookshelves and a public roof terrace, officials announced.

The branch, located at 455 Fifth Ave. at 40th Street, will be transformed into a state-of-the-art building complete with a full-floor business library, a floor dedicated to children and teens, hundreds of additional seats, and the only free public roof terrace in Midtown, library officials announced Tuesday.

Credit: Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle

Closing the branch through early 2020 will give the New York Public Library the chance to get the work done quickly and efficiently, according to an email sent to patrons last year.

While it's closed, its staff and services will be moved to other nearby branches, including a space on the ground floor of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building across Fifth Avenue. There, the branch's circulating collections, computers, programming spaces and study tables will be available in the otherwise non-public space.

This area will open to the public on Aug. 29, and will remain open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and Thursday; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Other branches including the Grand Central Library, the Science, Industry and Business Library, the Children's Center, the 53rd Street Library and the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building will have extended hours and additional programming to fill the needs currently served at the Mid-Manhattan branch. For more information, visit the NYPL's website.

The Mid-Manhattan branch, which was originally designed for a department store and opened in the 1970s, serves roughly 1.7 million visits a year and circulates about 2 million items annually, making it one of the busies in the country, library officials said.

Use the slider below to look at how the branch will look when it reopens in 2020: 

Credit: Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle