The Seward Park Branch of the New York Public Library opened on November 11, 1909 as one of the twenty public libraries Andrew Carnegie built throughout Manhattan. The Renaissance Revival structure, which was designed by the architectural firm of Babb, Cook & Welch was the most expensive Carnegie library constructed in the city.
With his new libraries Carnegie aimed to design to distinct structures, which was a new concept at the turn of the 20th century when most libraries were located in other buildings. The libraries were meant to serve as important social and educational fixtures in the neighborhoods in which they were located. In its first decades, the Seward Park Library served the neighborhood’s vibrant and thriving Jewish community. Today, the library serves a mixed neighborhood of Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, African-Americans.
The library become a New York City Landmark in 2013 and continues to operate as part of the New York Public Library.
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| internal | NYPL: Seward Park Library |
| internal | Google Books: Aguilar Free Library Society |
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| article | FOLES: Seward Park Library |