{"nrhp_refnum":"01001446","name":"Brooklyn Public Library-Central Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Grand Army Plaza","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brooklyn","county":"Brooklyn","state":"NY","lat":40.67233721700006,"lon":-73.96821416899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-01-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Central Building of the Brooklyn Public Library is a three-story limestone library on a triangular lot at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. It opened in 1941 to designs by Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the finest examples of civic architecture in New York City under Criterion C. Its design combines Modern Classical, Art Deco and Scandinavian Modern elements, with sculpture by Thomas Hudson Jones and C. Paul Jennewein. Its curved facade echoes Grand Army Plaza, and the interiors are described as among the earliest in the United States to show the influence of Erik Gunnar Asplund. The facades and main interior spaces are largely intact.","narrative":"Brooklyn's Central Library sits on a sloping triangular lot beside Grand Army Plaza, between Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum. Its limestone facade curves inward to echo the plaza's elliptical shape, and the plan resembles an open book. Work began in 1911 on a Beaux Arts design by Raymond Almirall, but the building was only one-third complete by 1929. In 1935 architects Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally produced a new modern scheme, finished in 1941. A fifty-foot entrance portico is flanked by pylons with gilded Art Deco reliefs by C. Paul Jennewein, and a bronze screen by Thomas Hudson Jones shows characters from American literature. Inside are a wood-paneled double-height foyer and a three-story circulation hall. The design drew on Swedish modernism, notably the work of Erik Gunnar Asplund. The exterior looks much as it did in 1941, apart from rear additions and a small annex, and the building remains a working library.","period_of_significance":"1911-1951","architect_builder":"Almirall, Raymond F. (architect); Githens, Alfred Morton & Keally, Francis (architects); Jones, Thomas Hudson & Jennewein, C. Paul (sculptors)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a library; the foyer and circulation hall were restored in the late 1990s and first-floor divisions were renovated in 2000.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:54.155925-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/01001446.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001446/54b921c861-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01001446/54b921c861-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Rhododendrites","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Public_Library_(93880p).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Rhododendrites</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Public_Library_(93880p).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"80002637","name":"Prospect Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/prospect-park-80002637/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318333","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Library_(Brooklyn_Public_Library)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5061358"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-public-library-central-building-01001446/"}