The Tremont Branch. Image Credit: LPC.
On January 23, 2024, the Landmark Preservation Commission held a public meeting for the proposed designation of the Tremont Branch of the New York Public Library located at 1866 Washington Avenue in the Bronx.
The library was constructed in 1905 and designed by Carrère and Hastings. The branch is one of the 67 circulating libraries created with funding by Andrew Carnegie. The building was designed in the Neo-Federal style and has two floors and six bays. A bay was added between 1915 and 1916 to create more space for book circulation and the children’s reading room. The building’s exterior features a limestone trim and keystones in the ground floor arched windows.
The library has served the community for almost 120 years. Librarians at this branch created one of the first girls reading clubs in the library system in 1908, and worked with members of the community to teach English to immigrants. The building served as a site for community meetings, and during the 1950s the Tremont Branch was the lead source for programming and literature on Jewish culture and history.
George Mihaltses, the Vice President for Government and Community Affairs for the New York Public Library, spoke in support of the application, stating the designation “upholds the Branch’s strong presence in the community.” He discussed the library’s history of supporting the community among changing demographics.
Diego Robayo, Public Relations Specialist for Hispanic Communities at the Historic Districts Council, also spoke in support of the designation, and discussed how the designation recognized both the architectural and cultural significance of the branch. He stated that the Branch “has been a meaningful place in the local community for over a century.”
Angel Hernandez, a Bronx historian and member of the Historic Districts Council’s Bronx Landmarks Committee, also testified in support, calling the building a “cornerstone of the community.”
The Landmarks Preservation Commission will vote on the designation at a later date.
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)