NY Public Library Checks Out of $300M Renovation

NEW YORK CITY—In a surprising move, The New York Public Library has abandoned its controversial $300-million plan to convert its Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street into a circulating library. Instead it will renovate the nearby Mid-Manhattan Library.

“When the facts change, the only right thing to do as a public-serving institution is to take a look with fresh eyes and see if there is a way to improve the plans and to stay on budget,” says New York Public Library president Anthony Marx.

The renovation of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building would have replaced the book stacks under the building's main reading room with the new lending library. The project was to be paid for with $150 million from New York City and proceeds from the sale of the Mid-Manhattan Library at Fifth Avenue and 40th Street, and the Science, Industry and Business Library in the former B. Altman building on Madison Avenue at 34th Street, according to the New York Times.

Several factors led to the library's change of heart including a study that showed the cost of renovating the main building to be more than projected; the change in city government leadership and public input, according to several library trustees.

Three lawsuits have been filed against the project and protests have been staged on the library steps. Criticism has come over the plan's design elements, as well because the plan required some books to be moved to New Jersey.

While the New York Public Library is still expected to receive $150 million for the project from the city, the library is now planning to use the fund for other purposes after talks with city officials.

City officials have issued statements of support for the library's change in plans.

“The administration is pleased to see that the updated proposal addresses these priorities,” says a spokeswoman in Mayor Bill de Blasio's office.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer in a prepared statement praised library on the decision to rework its plan. “It always takes courage to change your mind,” she says. See story in the New York Times.