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The Kips Bay Branch of The New York Public Library opened in 1972, replacing two former libraries: St. Gabriel's and Nathan Straus. Designed by the award-winning architect, Giorgio Cavaglieri, it was one of the first branches to be built fully accessible to people who use wheelchairs. The branch is named after a 17th-century farmer, Jacobus Kip, whose farm extended from Second Avenue and 35th Street to the bay that came to bear his name.