The proposed $120 million renovation and expansion project of the Mid-Manhattan Library will better meet the daily information needs of 8,000 New Yorkers on-site and thousands more electronically, creating a powerful catalyst for educational opportunity and economic growth.

The current Mid-Manhattan Library occupies a prime location on Fifth Avenue and 40th Street in the former Arnold Constable building which is owned by The New York Public Library. The expansion will add an additional eight floors and 117,000 square feet for library service to the existing 139,000 square foot building, while creating a 20,000 square foot ground floor presence for rental to a prominent retailer.

The design maintains the existing building, with structural modifications, retaining the contextual/urban reference, while re-imagining the limestone frame as a base and screen for a new, iconic intervention. Using the existing side facades of adjacent taller buildings on both Fifth Avenue and Fortieth Street, the addition acts as a counterpart to the original building; an articulate, glass sheathed, sculptural crystal volume that anchors the corner and establishes an extended and dynamic “place marker” for the New York Public Library/Bryant Park context.

The creation of a singular and memorable new object, as a counterpoint, embodies the visual and psychological presence of the original Beaux Arts Building with a modern vision: “A Beacon of Knowledge”. The expanded Mid-Manhattan library will offer a massive presence of information technology including over 300 computers, 100 laptops, and broad access to hundreds of electronic databases and technology training programs combining computer literacy and library literacy.

Facilities will include five “Information Commons”, one on each of five paired floors: Reference, Art, History and Social Sciences, Periodicals, and an extensive popular library including multiple copies of the latest best-sellers, language books and literature in addition to biographies, mysteries, travel books and vacation guides, books on tape, videos, and current multi-media items.

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The 114,000 sf Brutalist building, which is constructed of cast-in-place concrete, has a total of 37 different levels on nine floors, two below grade, and is a cornerstone of Yale’s vibrant arts campus. As a result of a 1996 planning study, Yale University decided to undertake the exterior and interior renovation of the structure along with the addition of a seven-story History of Art Building that allows for an expanded Art and Architecture Library, classrooms, seminar rooms, lecture halls, faculty offices, lounge, and public café. The project received LEED Gold certification.The design results from the integration of programmatic, structural and mechanical needs. It includes the restoration of exterior walls; the installation of historically correct windows; and upgrades to all building facilities including the exhibition gallery, jury and studio spaces; study areas; and administrative and faculty offices. It also introduces new lighting and furnishings throughout and brings the structure into compliance with current building and fire code regulations. The new 87,000 sf Jeffrey H. Loria Center for the History of Art, while an addition, is designed to present its own iconic presence in the overall composition. Its main volume is clad in limestone and zinc panels, with the intersections to the Rudolph Building rendered in glass and aluminum panels, thus reinforcing both the integration and articulation of the two structures. This extraordinary project represents the culmination of Charles Gwathmey’s forty-five year relationship with the university’s School of Architecture. Paul Rudolph was its chairman during Mr. Gwathmey’s studies and also became his mentor. Download project pdf for more information