New Snøhetta-designed public library opens in Far Rockaway
Photos courtesy of Matthew Lapiska/DDC
Far Rockaway’s new public library officially opened this week. Designed by acclaimed architecture firm Snøhetta, the two-story Queens Public Library branch at 1637 Central Avenue is twice the size of the previous library, which closed in 2018, and features a striking sunrise-inspired glass facade and central atrium that lets natural light fill the building. The $39 million library is part of the broader 2017 Downtown Far Rockaway rezoning to bring more housing, retail, and amenities to the neighborhood.
The new library is the third to be located at 1637 Central Avenue. The original Far Rockaway Public Library opened at the site nearly 120 years ago on August 18, 1904, and was the first library in Queens funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
The first library was destroyed in a fire in 1962, and six years later was replaced with a 9,000-square-foot building that served Far Rockaway residents until it closed in 2018. After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the library provided disaster relief and served as a food and supply distribution hub for local residents.
The Far Rockaway Library is clad in colored glass, with a “color gradient reflective of the sunrise off Long Island’s coast,” according to the architects. Snøhetta collaborated with Brooklyn-based artist José Parlá to design the mural wrapping the facade. Called “Style Writing,” the artwork features continuous written forms using words depicting daily life in New York City.
Spanning 18,000 square feet, the new building meets LEED Gold standards and features a unique glass facade that minimizes heat from the sun while maximizing natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting.
The library’s interior is organized around an inverted pyramidal atrium, providing natural light to reach the ground floor and also views of the sky above. The interior railing is made of dichroic glass, “creating a kaleidoscopic effect in the atrium,” according to a press release.
“Our design for the new Far Rockaway library is focused on connecting the diverse communities in the area through an architecture supporting joy and learning,” Snøhetta founder Craig Dykers said. “The vibrant colors and daylit interiors are inspired by the many groups that call the area their home.
“Together with New York based Cuban American artist, José Parlá, the building pays homage to the spirit of creativity in the Rockaways and in many of the culturally distinct neighborhoods across the city.”
The first floor features a teen room and computer area, library offices, a book sorting area, and a staff lounge with lockers. There is also a rear yard available for public use. On the second floor, accessible by an elevator, guests can find separate adult and children’s reading areas and a dividable meeting room.
The library offers 32 public computers and 32 public laptops, a collection of approximately 30,000 books, periodicals, and materials in other languages, as well as books focusing on the Black and Jewish experiences for both children and adults.
Inside the library, an art installation by Mexican artist Pablo Helguera called “Feynman Code” pays tribute to Nobel Prize-winner and theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, who grew up and went to high school in the neighborhood.
One of his best-known contributions to the field of physics is the “Feynman diagrams,” which are pictorial representations of “mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles,” according to an official press release.
For the new Far Rockaway branch, Helguera created an alphabet where each letter is replaced with a Feynman diagram. Using this coding system, he reproduced two phrases: one by 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson, which reads, “The brain is wider than the sky,” and another by Feynman, which says, “I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe.”
“The opening of this spectacular library marks an important moment in Queens Public Library’s 120-year relationship with the neighborhood and in the revitalization of Downtown Far Rockaway,” Dennis M. Walcott, QPL President and CEO, said.
“This dynamic building is a work of art designed to welcome, inspire, and connect everyone who comes through its doors.”
The project was funded through capital investments from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Mayor Eric Adams, Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers, State Assembly Member Stacey Pheffer Amato, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, the state’s Education Department, and the City Council Queens Delegation.
“It’s been a long time in coming, but the new Far Rockaway Library is a spectacular facility that will prove to be well worth the wait,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said. “Countless Far Rockaway families now have access to the first-class center of learning, culture, imagination, and community engagement that they have long deserved.”
Snøhetta’s design received an Excellence in Design Award from the city’s Public Design Commission through the Department of Design and Construction’s (DDC) Project Excellence 2.0 program, which pre-selects and pre-qualifies design firms that work with the DDC on projects with construction budgets of up to $50 million.
The project is the second New York City public library designed by Snøhetta. In December 2022, the architecture firm unveiled its design for the 12,000-square foot Westchester Square Library, which features a striking green glass facade with abstract views of the neighborhood’s trees, paying homage to the Bronx’s status as the city’s “greenest borough.”
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