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The Seward Park Branch of The New York Public Library is one of 65 branches erected with funds given to New York City by Andrew Carnegie.

A four-story red brick Renaissance Revival building with high ceilings and arched windows, the branch is located at the eastern edge of the park for which it is named. The branch's origins can be traced to 1886, when the Aguilar Free Library Society opened several libraries, including what would become the Seward Park Branch. The library, designed by the firm of Babb, Cook & Welch, opened its doors on November 11, 1909. The building houses adult, reference, and young adult collections on the third floor; a children’s room on the second floor; adult, media, and world language collections on the first floor; and a literacy center on the lower level. In its first renovation since 1953, the branch reopened in 2004 with a restored exterior and interior, central air-conditioning, new technology infrastructure and computers, and ramps and an elevator that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, among myriad improvements. In its early days, the Seward Park Branch served an immigrant Jewish population. Today, the community is home to a mixture of Jews, Hispanics, African Americans, and an ever-increasing Asian population.

 

Historical Images of Seward Park Library

[Seward Park, Circulation?], Digital ID 1253142, New York Public LibrarySeward Park Library, circulation desk readers on roof reading room, Digital ID 100930, New York Public LibraryReaders in the rooftop reading room

30 p.m., Digital ID 100936, New York Public LibraryChildren waiting to get up the stairs to the Children's room.

Seward Park Branch, companion picture to 'Choosing an American History,' April 11, 1910., Digital ID 94629, New York Public Library"Choosing an American History" at Seward Park by Lewis Hine, April 11, 1911

Seward Park [Exterior], Digital ID 1253137, New York Public LibrarySeward Park Library exterior, 1911Search the NYPL Digital Gallery for more images of Seward Park Library and its community.