brooklyn public library

Our work with MASS Design Group continues on the design of a new building for the New Lots Library in East New York. We are now in Schematic Design, working closely with Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and the community to explore opportunities to transform and expand the branch to better serve its present-day patrons as well as future generations. Sited near a historic African Burial Ground housing the remains of enslaved individuals, the design will have an emphasis on learning from the past to inform the future, interwoven with narratives of social activism, education, community, and restorative justice.

The New Lots library is one of the largest libraries in the BPL system, offering a diverse array of programs for all ages. Also a hub for educational adult learning programs, the library is one of five across the Brooklyn Public Library system that has a dedicated Adult Learning Center, catering to individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Over the past year, the branch hosted around 2,500 programs and welcomed over 168,000 visitors.

Today, alongside Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), Center for Brooklyn History (CBH), and the local community, we join in celebrating the Grand Reopening of the Center for Brooklyn History. This signifies a momentous step in moving towards the goal of creating the foremost Brooklyn archive in the world and increasing access to Brooklyn history. The reopening follows our completion of a planning study and renovations to the ground floor retail and gallery spaces.

As part of the planning study, we worked closely with CBH staff on an assessment to consolidate collections from two of the largest archives of Brooklyn artifacts in the world. The outcome provided a roadmap identifying long-term goals and short-term strategies for the Center to begin offering a range of services to the general public.

The renovation supports BPL and CBH’s goal to increase the Center’s presence and accessibility from the street, while integrating it with the rich local history that surrounds it.

Special thanks to CBH Staff, the entire Brooklyn Public Library team, and the Brooklyn Community for your collaboration and input throughout the process!

Read more about the Center for Brooklyn History here.

Construction has begun at the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH), where we’ve been working with Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) to transform the building into a welcoming public destination. The current renovation focuses on the main level with a re-oriented and accessible entrance, new retail space, public lounge areas integrated into the event space, and new connections to the Fransioli Gallery, Othmer library, and exhibition spaces. This project follows a study that identified both short- and long-term strategies for CBH. We are thrilled to be working on this project that consolidates the museum collections from the two foremost Brooklyn archives!

Originally home to the Long Island Historical Society, the building was designed in the late nineteenth century by George B. Post and has since, served a unique variety of purposes. In the 1980’s, it became home to the Brooklyn Historical Society, and now the Center for Brooklyn History within the Brooklyn Public Library system.

Over the weekend, we hosted before-hours tours of Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center as part of OHNY Weekend. The tour was led by Jason Roberts, project architect, and offered a unique look into the 15,000 square foot community library and hub for environmental awareness, activism, and education.

We are thrilled to announce that we will be working in collaboration with MASS Design Group on the renovation of New Lots Library in Brooklyn. The library was built on an African burial ground for enslaved people and the new design will seek to respond to this history by having the library become a celebration of African American heritage. One of the largest libraries in the Brooklyn Public Library System, New Lots is also one of the few libraries in the network that contains an Adult Learning Center.

Over the course of the past few months, MFA has been working in collaboration with Hester Street and MASS Design Group to hold engagement sessions with the East New York Community. Input gathered from these meetings will inform the design and programming of the new space while seeking to transform the library into a nexus for social activism, education, and liberation, through the amplification of the stories of the surrounding community and ancestors buried on site.

Read the project announcement