The New York Public Library announced last Friday, August 12, that the Grand Central location will permanently close its doors come December 1 after being in operation for over a decade.
NYPL’s Grand Central location opened as a temporary location on 135 East 46th Street in 2009 to accommodate NYers during the construction of the 53rd Street Library. The lease was extended in 2015 after construction still wasn’t complete, but they’ve decided they won’t be renewing the lease again after it ends this coming December.
“The Grand Central Library served midtown admirably, but now, with both 53rd Street and the 180,000-square-foot SNFL open nearby—two of the largest and most modern libraries in The New York Public Library system…we can no longer maintain this third, much smaller branch. The Library has limited resources to serve this diverse city, and needs to be strategic and equitable about how it maintains its system and footprint. It is a challenge that requires tough decisions and this is one of them,” stated Tony Marx, NYPL President, in a statement.
The six staff members from Grand Central will continue work within the NYPL system, the programming that took place at Grand Central will now occur at nearby locations. All of the books at Grand Central will also remain in the Library’s collection, accessible by request from any location.