The Library’s plan to upgrade, renovate, and add public space to the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building continues in 2021, with physical work on critical infrastructure upgrades beginning in late 2020. Specifically, the Library is currently working on upgrades to the building’s cooling tower and HVAC system, as well as improvements to building circulation and flow with the addition of a new elevator and staircase.
Please note: the Schwarzman Building is currently closed to the public to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and while staff is on-site to manage scan-and-deliver, virtual consultations, and other remote services, the current work will have minimal impact on public service at this time.
The infrastructure improvements are part of the project’s Phase II, which has been ongoing since 2017 and included the 2019 opening of the second-floor Center for Research in the Humanities, an 8,000-square-foot space dedicated to quiet research, work with the Library’s research collections, temporary displays, and collections-related programming. Phase II is currently scheduled to conclude in 2023, and in addition to the infrastructure upgrades will include a new entrance and public plaza on the 40th Street side of the building and a new permanent but rotating exhibition of NYPL research collection treasures in the Library’s upgraded Gottesman Hall.