The new Greenpoint Library (107 Norman Ave.) was the site of a meetup on Monday evening hosted by the Friends of Greenpoint Library where dozens of attendees received a tour of the building.
It is approaching three years since the last time that Greenpointers had a functioning public library; in July of 2017 the former library closed ahead of demolition. An initial completion date for the new Greenpoint Library was estimated to be in the winter of 2018, but discovery of asbestos in the former building along with construction delays pushed the ETA back.
The expected completion is now “late March,” as work remains to be completed inside and outside.
Project manager for the Greenpoint Library Ames O’Neill lead the tour on Monday night showing progress made on the three floors and roof deck of the new library.
The adult reading area on the first floor is where non-fiction and fiction books will be displayed, and large group tables outfitted with electrical outlets will be near the windows facing Norman Avenue. Also in the first-floor reading area will be eight “adult computers.”
On the opposite side of the first-floor separated by the main staircase is the children’s section which was mostly filled with construction material at the time of the tour.
On the second floor there will be restrooms and a staff area leading out to a seating section that overlooks the future garden. Meeting rooms are also on the second floor and vary in size from small to large.
Restrooms, which total five on the second-floor, are gender neutral and have one toilet per room and will have baby-changing stations.
The landscaping and outside garden work has hardly begun as construction is still in progress on the inside and heavy machinery surrounds the building. A view of the third floor rooftop reading area facing Norman Avenue was difficult to photograph in the dark, but it was easy to imagine how inviting the rooftop will be on a sunny day as there is ample space for chairs and tables.
For neighbors interested in volunteering, the Friends of Greenpoint Library group plans to hold monthly meetups with the next fundraiser night at The Diamond (43 Franklin St.) tentatively scheduled for March 9th.
Main staircase Three floors? Unlike the new Queens LIC library, with its super-sized-staircase fiasco that make things so difficult for the elderly, I see elevators in the these photos. Hopefully they are for customer use! Also, hopefully the new Greenpoint library will have 24/7 kiosks for returning library materials, no matter whether the branch is open or not – as is currently available in many Queens libraries.