brooklyn public library

We are thrilled to celebrate the unveiling of the design for the New Lots Library. MFA partnered with MASS Design Group and worked closely with Brooklyn Public Library and the East New York community to reimagine how a new public library can serve as a beacon of restorative justice, honoring the history of its site while creating new opportunities for celebration, connection, storytelling, and healing. Developed through a robust community engagement process, the design reflects a deep dialogue with the East New York community about their past, present, and vision for the future.

The new 25,000-square-foot library will replace the existing branch, expanding access to essential educational and cultural resources for generations to come. Thoughtfully designed to foster solidarity and shared memory, the space embodies a commitment to renewal and community-driven growth. At its core, the design for the library acknowledges the historic African burial ground on which the current library stands, providing a new space for reflection, renewal, and reconciliation.

Programming includes dedicated reading and music rooms, learning and exhibition spaces, an auditorium for community events, and outdoor areas for gathering and reflection.

“Public libraries are some of the most trusted places in our city, and each branch library has an opportunity to be responsive to the unique needs of their community. The Brooklyn Public Library continues to demonstrate their commitment to their communities, supporting designs that offer transformative visions for their libraries,” said Karen Fairbanks, Founding Partner of Marble Fairbanks Architects. “Here at the New Lots Library, we hope this project expands that trust by acknowledging past wrongs and offering spaces inside and out that empower the East New York community to grow, to make, to learn, to advocate and to continue their journey.”

By embedding these spaces within the community, the New Lots Library will be an anchor of social infrastructure in the New Lots and Brooklyn community—strengthening inclusion, deepening community connections, and contributing toward a more equitable future.

This fall, Karen presented the Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education as part of the Designing Libraries for the 21st Century Annual Conference. Her talk focused on how the legacy of intense community activism around the environment shaped the project, leading to a design that heals past damage to the site and introduces new ways for the community to focus on environmental justice and education.

Karen joined Greg Raschke, Senior Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, NC State University, on the panel Community-Centered Design: A Current Framing. The panel was moderated by Patrick Deaton, Associate Director, Learning Spaces and Capital Management, NC State University.

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.