The New York Public Library will name a new public plaza at its iconic midtown location after Trustee and former Board Chair Marshall Rose, whose unwavering devotion and transformative vision has strengthened the Library, Bryant Park, and New York City.
At its annual meeting this week, the Library’s Board of Trustees approved a resolution to name the new 40th Street space “Marshall Rose Plaza,” honoring the significant foundational contributions that Rose has made to the institution. Rose, a tireless advocate for the Library over many decades, has played a key role in many critical capital projects, including the restoration of the Rose Main Reading Room, the development of the Milstein Research Stacks, and renovations to the Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and many neighborhood branches. This work has prepared the Library to best serve New Yorkers now and in the future.
Rose was also instrumental in the revitalization of Bryant Park; when taken together, the park and adjacent central library building create a beloved oasis in the heart of midtown.
The new plaza will be built along with a new public entrance on the 40th Street side of the Library’s iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The plaza project—privately funded with a lead gift from New York Public Library Trustee Richard Cohen—is expected to be complete in 2021.
“Marshall Rose has been a staunch advocate and innovative leader for the Library, reaffirming its essential role in the civic and educational life of New York City,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. “His devotion and dedication to the Library’s mission has made the institution—and the city— much stronger. It is appropriate, therefore, that as we once again prepare our iconic building for the future, we honor Marshall Rose and his visionary leadership.”
During the discussion around the naming at the Board meeting, Library Trustee Bobby Liberman added, “I would argue that [Marshall] has been NYPL’s greatest resource over the last 30 years and it is so appropriate that the Marshall Rose Plaza will honor this wonderful man.”