Renovated Cortelyou Library in Ditmas Park Welcomes Back Readers

Bookworms, rejoice!

On the first day of school, the Cortelyou branch of the Brooklyn Public Library welcomed patrons back after temporarily closing its doors for renovations.

The 38-year-old community hotspot at 1305 Cortelyou Road in Ditmas Park closed six months ago to undergo a facelift. While the skeleton of the library remains unchanged, locals can expect to find a complete interior remodeling.

At its September 13 reopening, a crowd of children in school uniforms bustled in to see the freshly painted walls, shiny linoleum floors and brightly colored books placed on new shelves. Renovations also included a new teen area, as well as energy-efficient lighting.

Linda Johnson, CEO of the library system, believes the improvements will make the book-lender a place of ingenuity.

“We like to have libraries that are not only warm in the winter and cool in the summer…but that are inspiring,” Johnson said. “I’m happy that we could deliver one that is so uplifting and cheerful.”

The branch’s staff worked alongside Friends of the Library, a local volunteer group, to raise a total of $40,000 to supplement a $250,000 state grant. According to BPL spokesperson Fritzi Bodenheimer, the estimated cost of renovation was roughly $290,000.

“It was a great partnership because the state paid for a lot of the infrastructure work and the Friends were able to cover things the state grant wouldn’t have covered like these chairs,” said Mike Fieni, BPL’s director of community engagement.

Assembly Member Robert Carroll, who represents parts of Flatbush, joined Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, where he thanked the group of staff members, fundraisers and parents gathered in front of the library.

“It was so wonderful to see that this branch has been renovated and made so much better because of all of your work and commitment,” Carroll said.

With Ditmas Park residents eager to get back into borrowing from their local branch, library staffers hope the reopening will symbolize some level of “normalcy” for locals.

“With kids going back to school, the natural rhythm will start to resume some level of normalcy and I want to make sure we’re here for our communities,” said Johnson.

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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