With its breathtaking façade, sweeping grand lobby and vast contemporary and historical collections, Central Library is a Brooklyn icon. The building’s history dates to 1889, when the Brooklyn Park Commission was authorized to select a location for the library. In 1912, ground was broken on architect Raymond F. Almirall’s imposing Beaux-Arts design, but construction slowed and eventually ceased in the following years as the nation and the borough endured economic difficulties brought on by World War One and the Great Depression. A single unfinished wing of the building sat empty on Flatbush Avenue for more than two decades.
Free
No Data