Hunters Point library dedication ceremony is today in LIC

Image source: NYDN

A new library is coming to Hunters Point in LIC, and the dedication ceremony is later this morning, reports the NY Daily News. The library, designed by architect Steven Holl, is expected to cost $28 million, and will be “an environmental and architectural marvel on the East River” with amazing waterfront views. At the ceremony, local children will plant “trees of knowledge” that will grow near the site.

It’s location will be between 47th Road and 48th Avenue, right next door to Gantry Plaza State Park (GMAP). The land is owned by the Queens West Development Corp. Local Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer – who also used to work with the Queens Library system – proclaims that the library will become “a landmark in future years.”

The 21,500-square-foot library will feature large windows and a roof terrace. It will also join the emerging number of green buildings in LIC, and in particular it will use geothermal wells to cool the building (no a/c units on the roof), according to Queens Library CEO Thomas Galante. It will be interesting to see if and how this building achieves LEED certification – according to Crain’s New York, “Library executives hope that will earn the highest possible LEED certification.”

Other features of the library will include a media center with public computers, a garden and roof terrace, and community room that could seat up to 150 people.

Van Bramer makes an interesting point – “There’s this incredible baby boom where there are strollers everywhere and yet we have no library.” Many people have fond childhood memories of spending hours in libraries – a library is normally considered to be a “safe space” for kids. And yes, it is true about the baby boom – from a purely anecdotal perspective, strollers are everywhere. With families growing along with new high rises, the expectation is that the population will achieve as many as 45,000 people in the next five years. There’s a very good chance many of them will want a library in their neighborhood.

The library is expected to open in 2015.

Hunters Point takes a major step toward its dream library [NYDN]
Check it out: Long Island City’s new library [Crain’s]