NEW YORK CITY-Officials with the New York Public Library say they have altered its design for the $300-million renovation of its landmark Fifth Avenue building in response to a public outcry over its plans to dismantle stacks of century-old books.
The plan prompted two lawsuits by scholars and historic preservationists that were geared to blocking plans to topple the book stacks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
New York Public Library President Anthony Marx says the library still plans to build a new circulating library in the 80,000-square-foot space under the Rose Main Reading Room. However, the new design will incorporate the stacks as "a prominent feature.”
The stacks currently form the structural support of the Rose Main Reading Room. The new design must allow for the weight of the room to be shifted to new supports before the stacks can be removed. See story in the Wall Street Journal.
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