Yorkville Branch, New York Public Library

History and architecture

The Yorkville Public Library is one of New York's most elegant adaptations of the Palladian style to a modern public building and one of the few examples of this phase of Italian Renaissance architecture in New York. Its three-story limestone facade, designed by James Brown Lord, displays the symmetrical ordering of its members and the restrained ornament which characterizes this style.

The architect has divided the facade into three bays, announced at first floor level by three round arched openings set in the horizontally grooved (rusticated) stonework. Lion-heads, a popular motif at the turn of the century, emphasize the keystones of the arches. A belt course, incised with a Greek fret motif, marks the transition to the upper floors. Here Ionic columns separate the three windows. Each window has a triangular pediment above which is a small oblong window framed with decorative garlands (swags).

At this level, pilasters define the outer ends of the building. Finally, a strong cornice (entablature) capped with a low balustrade crowns the facade. Balusters interspersed with solid parapet blocks/aligned with the pilasters lend a sense of rhythm, while balusters with small central solid blocks in front of the second story windows restate the rhythmic theme of the Library's design. All of the ornamental members of the facade are Palladian motifs carefully executed and tastefully used.

This library was built with funds contributed by Andrew Carnegie when he helped bring about the consolidation of New York's public libraries. It was here that Thomas Masaryk did the research which led to the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic after World War I.