Bloomingdale Library

June 03, 1896 - ?

The Bloomingdale Library was originally part of the New York Free Circulating Library (NYFCL). Founded in 1878, the NYFCL established eleven branch libraries in New York City before the system was absorbed by The New York Public Library in 1901. With the exception of a small library on West 59th Street supported by the Riverside Association, there were no libraries between West 23rd Street and the northern reaches of Manhattan in Washington Heights prior to the establishment of the Bloomingdale branch in 1896. The library's collection began with the donation of 3,000 volumes by St. Michael's Episcopal Church on West 99th Street and was originally housed in rented space at 100th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. In 1898 construction began on a free standing building, which was designated a landmark in 1896 by the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission. In 1961, the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences purchased the building and the library relocated to modern headquarters nearby on West 100th Street.

The Bloomingdale Library at 206 West 100th Street.
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Details

Category
Library
Audience
All Ages
Corporate Body
The New York Public Library
Tags
NewYorkFreeCirculatingLibrary

Location

  • 150 W 100th St, New York, NY 10025, USA
    1961 - ?
  • 206 W 100th St, New York, NY 10025, USA
    1898 - 1960
  • 816 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025, USA
    June 03, 1896 - ?

Archival Collections

References

  1. Bulletin of the New York Public Library (New York: Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundation, 1917), 227-229.
  2. "Designation List 220 LP-1616" (Landmarks Preservation Commission, August 29,1989). http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/1989NewYorkFreeCircLibrary.pdf (accessed May 7, 2018).