The words ‘Goldman Sachs’ never reminded me of the library - until today. Although I have been to NYC many times to take in all its wonder, I never knew about Battery Park City, a planned community of about 10,000 people established in 1968, but not populated until the 1990s. The 92 acre area, located at the very tip of Manhattan, was created with excavated rocks and soil from the construction of The World Trade Center and sand dredged from Staten Island. The neighborhood is bordered by the Hudson River and the financial district and it is home to the World Financial Center. All in all a pretty nice piece of real estate.
One day Goldman Sachs, the now infamous investment banking and securities firm, moved into the Battery Park City neighborhood and, instead of baking brownies, made a generous donation of $3.5 million towards a spectacular new library (and $1 million toward a new community center). The city and state added an addition $6.7 million and, viola, the Battery Park City Library was born.
Located at 175 North End Avenue, the library is a 10,000 square foot jewel … if I lived in NYC I would be hopping on the subway with my little terrors in tow and barging right in to lounge on the built in couches, plop into the bean bags, read magazines in the recycled chairs, and log onto one of the 36 computers (I’m sure the patrons would love that). The space is not only bright, airy, modern and fun but it is also the first of the NYPL branches to be LEED certified. The rugs are made from old tires, the circulation desk constructed from recycled cardboard and the staircase is crafted from recycled glass chips. An it is all exquisite. The branch is a perfect illustration of beauty, function and environmental respect - it will be an ongoing joy and inspiration to the children and families of Battery Park City. While I know there is a certain standard to uphold in the neighborhoods of the super-wealthy, I wonder if the added expense of such a space is appreciated, were residents really after a beautiful place to read and play with their kids or did they want a design showplace. Again, the current state of libraries in America rears it not-so-pretty head an reminds us that the rich get beautiful libraries and the poor get what they get (and they should be grateful).
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| Michael Moran |
Located at 175 North End Avenue, the library is a 10,000 square foot jewel … if I lived in NYC I would be hopping on the subway with my little terrors in tow and barging right in to lounge on the built in couches, plop into the bean bags, read magazines in the recycled chairs, and log onto one of the 36 computers (I’m sure the patrons would love that). The space is not only bright, airy, modern and fun but it is also the first of the NYPL branches to be LEED certified. The rugs are made from old tires, the circulation desk constructed from recycled cardboard and the staircase is crafted from recycled glass chips. An it is all exquisite. The branch is a perfect illustration of beauty, function and environmental respect - it will be an ongoing joy and inspiration to the children and families of Battery Park City. While I know there is a certain standard to uphold in the neighborhoods of the super-wealthy, I wonder if the added expense of such a space is appreciated, were residents really after a beautiful place to read and play with their kids or did they want a design showplace. Again, the current state of libraries in America rears it not-so-pretty head an reminds us that the rich get beautiful libraries and the poor get what they get (and they should be grateful).
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