115th St Branch NY Public Library

History and architecture

To come unexpectedly upon the 115th Street Branch of the New York Public Library on a residential street occupied primarily by four and five-story brown- stones, is to experience a pleasant surprise. Such is the architectural character of this branch library, with its façade designed in the Italian Renaissance style. Built in 1908, the exterior of this three story structure is faced with grey limestone with deeply grooved horizontal jointing (rustication). Its design is stately and like an Italian palazzo, has great dignity and distinction.

The design emphasizes the thane of three widely spaced windows. On the first and second floors, the great round-headed windows have arches of rusticated stones carried upward to meet the horizontal band course, that forms the window sill level of the next story, and the horizontal joints of the masonry, thereby creating an unusually interesting linear composition. The westernmost arched opening at the first floor has glass entrance doors. Above the adjoining central window and superimposed over its arch is a handsomely sculptured stone cartouche (shield) containing the City's coat of arms and supported by two cherubic angels bearing garlands. Relief from austerity is achieved by delicate scrollwork in the horizontal band course at second floor level. A heavy, projecting stone cornice, carried on ornate brackets, effectively terminates the façade at the top.

In 1901 Andrew Carnegie offered New York the generous gift of $5,200,000 to build branches of the Public Library throughout the City. This building was erected with money from the Andrew Carnegie Fund. The City purchased land in strategic locations, usually two to three lots for a site. The buildings were almost always three stories high and the style was overwhelmingly classic in character, following the influence of the Chicago World's Fair and our architects' training in Europe. This branch was designed by McKim, Mead & White.