Closing Bell: Brooklyn Library Revamps Doors

The Brooklyn Public Library’s Central branch unveiled its newly refurbished front doors today, their beautiful gold-leaf designs restored with the help of a $250,000 award from the Partners in Preservation Program. Partners in Preservation held a citywide competition where 40 different historical sites vied for $3 million in funding, and the public voted online. The BPL received 9 percent of the vote.

Designed by Morton Githens and Francis Keally, the library opened its doors in 1941 with Art Deco detailing by sculptors Thomas Hudson Jones and C. Paul Jennewein. It has a 50-foot entry portico set into a concave facade, flanked by gold-leaf figures showing the evolution of art and science. And above the triple doors, a bronze screen features 15 well-known characters from American literature. Architect Toshiko Mori and architectural metal specialists Jaroff Design led the restoration, which involved “the replacement of the aged bronze patina revolving and paired doors, scissor gates and door saddles, as well as restoring the granite paving at the entrance,” according to a press release.

Above, the ribbon cutting today. From left to right, that’s Roberta Lane, senior field officer, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Cheryl Rosario, Director of Philanthropy for American Express, Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, and Senator Eric Adams. Click through to the jump for a better look at the detail on the doors.

Photos by Brooklyn Public Library