New York, NY
NYC Department of Design & Construction
18,000 sf
Helpern Architects’ renovation of the St. Agnes library on Amsterdam Avenue revived this historic structure – one of the elegant group of public libraries funded by Andrew Carnegie at the turn of the last century – and re-established it as a neighborhood resource.
Completed in 2009 under a double contract with NYC DDC (building) and the New York Public Library (interiors), our renovation restored the Renaissance Revival facade, all four floors of the library, plus the basement.
Gone are the dropped ceilings and fluorescent lights. New interior features include additional wooden bookcases, modern interpretations of antique light fixtures, and a custom librarian’s desk at the entry. The first floor also houses new staff offices, and a Children’s Reading Room. An adjacent dedicated “Story Hour” area, a small-scale, playful section, is defined by an etched glass partition that proclaims the purpose of the space. New skylights form its shed roof.
On the second floor, separate reading areas serve adults and teenagers. The third floor contains a community room, computer lab, and the Center for Reading and Writing, an adult reading education program. The fourth-floor former custodian’s apartment houses a new HVAC system and other modern technologies. The basement provides storage for the library’s popular ongoing book sale.
Original refinished oak paneling and flooring provided texture. The restored grand staircase retains iron hooks on the banisters — a hallmark of Carnegie libraries to prevent children from sliding down them.
Though codes stipulated fireproofing for the open stairwell, we provided smoke baffles that allow the stair to remain open on the first floor, while a two-hour-rated glass enclosure fireproofs the second and third floors.
