NYPL’s new entrance and public plaza on 40th Street gets green light from Landmarks
Rendering of the Marshall Rose Plaza by Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle
The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved the New York Public Library’s plan to add a new public entrance and plaza to its Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in Midtown. The changes fall under the library’s larger master renovation plan, a $317 million project first unveiled in 2017. The LPC approved the changes to the exterior of the building–subject to the city’s landmark rules–after design modifications suggested at a presentation in February were made by the library, Curbed NY reported.
Previous rendering of new 40th Street entrance; via Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle
The approved plan adds a wider loading dock, the new entrance, and a plaza to be named for Library Trustee and former Board Chair Marshall Rose. According to the library, the work will start in 2020 and is expected to wrap up in 2021.
Its goal is to make the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building more accessible to the public, improve the way people and books move throughout, and increase outdoor public space. “All of this work is crucial for better serving the public now and in the future,” Iris Weinshall, the CEO of NYPL, said. “As such, we are excited about this project.”
Overall, the master plan, approved by the board in November 2017, increases public space in the building by 20 percent by restoring empty or underused rooms. Designed by a team of architects from Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle, the project also adds a new education center for students to gain research and fact-finding skills.
[Via Curbed NY]
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