The Children's Library Discovery Center, in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, is an addition to the

Queens Central Library The Queens Public Library (QPL), also known as the Queens Borough Public Library and Queens Library (QL), is the public library for the borough of Queens, and one of three public library systems serving New York City. It is one of the largest ...

building. It was commissioned by the

New York City Department of Design & Construction New York City Department of Design and Construction is the department of the government of New York City that builds many of the civic facilities in New York City. As the city’s primary capital construction project manager, it provides new or ...

and completed in 2011 under the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Design and Construction Excellence program. The center is the Queens Borough Public Library system's largest facility. With a $1.8 million grant from the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

, the center recruited specialists from the

Exploratorium The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California. Characterized as "a mad scientist's penny arcade, a scientific funhouse, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one", the participatory natur ...

in San Francisco to design hands-on "discovery stations". The stations, geared toward children ages 3–12, introduce them to diverse topics such as weather, music, and nanotechnology. According to Queens Library CEO Thomas Galante, the embedding of museum-like exhibits into a reading space as exemplified by the center is unique among public libraries in the United States. The 22,000-square-foot, two-story building was designed by

1100 Architect 1100 Architect is an architecture firm based in New York City and Frankfurt founded by principals David Piscuskas and Juergen Riehm. It provides architectural design, programming, space analysis, interior design, and master planning services to ...

, with graphics and wayfinding designed by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture & Design Partnership. The exterior is a conspicuous glass façade scaled to match the existing mix of low-rises in the neighborhood.

History

The library opened in 2011. The addition of the Children's Library Discovery Center is significant to the community of

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Spring ...

, as it serves a diverse and marginalized population of

. The services provided by the center are not easily available to

residents. The adjacent

building was designed by

York & Sawyer York and Sawyer was an American architectural firm active between 1898 and 1949. The firms' work is exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York (July 23, 1863– December 30, 1928) and ...

in 1966. As the first major branch of an urban library to place all public services on one floor, its design was representative of a new building trend towards functional library design. The new addition to the existing library was proposed under New York's Design and Construction Excellence program—a federal plan started in the mid-1990s that sought to bring better design to government buildings. The program, led by Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David J. Burney, guarantees market-rate fees to architects with the intent to encourage fresh young talent in the city.

Awards

In 2011, the building received two awards: the Queens Library Foundation, Award for Excellence in Design; and the

Chamber of Commerce, Building Award: New Construction/Public Building. In 2012 it won the

Municipal Art Society of New York The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city. The organization was ...

, MASterworks Award: Best Neighborhood Catalyst, and in 2013, the

NYLA Nailah Thorbourne (Born 27 November 1983), better known by her stage name Nyla, is a Jamaican singer and songwriter from Kingston, Jamaica. Nyla was a member of the R&B and reggae duo Brick & Lace whose debut album, '' Love Is Wicked'', was re ...

-PLA Award.

References

External links

Children's Library Discovery Center
- Queens Library {{Libraries in New York City Children's libraries Jamaica, Queens Queens Public Library