Cypress Hills City Councilman Rafael Espinal welcomed the reopening of the Brooklyn Public Library’s historic Arlington Library branch after about five months months of renovations.
The library at its current location dates back to 1906, when the two-story classical revival structure was among the libraries built by a $1.6 million gift from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. While under renovation Brooklyn Public Library’s Bookmobile provided twice-weekly service at Arlington.
“We’re grateful to Brooklyn Public Library for investing in a facility that many residents of the Cypress Hills community depend on for information and recreation,” said Espinal. “Our families, and all Brooklynites, deserve safe, inviting and fully functional libraries.”
The branch has undergone two previous renovations, in the early 1950s and in 1980. The recent renovations included a new roof, improved drainage system, newly painted interiors, energy-efficient lighting and other critical infrastructure improvements.
“Arlington Library is a Brooklyn landmark that has served the community for more than one hundred years,” said Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda Johnson. “We’re thankful to our patrons for supporting us as we renovated their library, and we look forward to working with city leaders to address the considerable capital challenges we face throughout our sixty branches.”
The Library also renovated its Clinton Hill and Stone Avenue branches in 2014.
