New York’s Staten Island. On Wednesday, the New York Public Library began construction on a new structure for its branch in Huguenot Park.
After learning that the community wanted extra parking, Iris Weinshall, the chief operating officer of the library, said the new structure, which is located on a property next to Woodrow Plaza, would help the system better serve its consumers.
For more than a century, [this branch] has served as a center for our community service, Weinshall stated. When I initially visited the Huguenot branch, I took the manager aside and told him, “We’ll get you a new branch.” I know he’s here. We have been striving to enhance all 14 of our branches here on Staten Island for the past ten years because this is unacceptable.
Weinshall highlighted a number of ongoing initiatives at the New York Public Library around the borough, such as a $20 million makeover of the Port Richmond branch, a new Charleston branch, and technology upgrades at several branches throughout the Island.
According to the New York Public Library, the new 7,500-square-foot branch location will include double the amount of computers, an outdoor area for hosting programs, and a special teen area in addition to parking spaces designated for library patrons.
In order to furnish the new branch location and stock it with new volumes, Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) obtained approximately $1 million in capital funds.
The councilman, who will step down at the end of 2025, expressed his hope that the new branch would serve as a permanent reminder of his tenure in office. He recalled visiting the former branch location as a child, which was at the intersection of Huguenot Avenue and Drumgoole Road East.
My dad used to work at night, so my mom would frequently have to take me out of the home during the day so he could sleep. One of the sites we would most frequently visit was the Huguenot branch, which he said had reached the end of its shelf life. The difficulties of 2024, 2025, 2030, and 2040 are beyond its capabilities. Future children, including my own, will have their wants and problems met by this branch.
Thanks in part to a fairly unusual construction process, officials anticipate the new branch location will open within the next year. The new library branch’s landlord, who also own Woodrow Plaza, will be managing the construction.
At Wednesday’s groundbreaking, Steve Horvath, the branch manager for Huguenot Park, informed attendees that the current branch will continue to operate while the new branch is being built.
The longtime owners of the old branch location purchased it in 1981, began leasing it to the library in 1984, and sold it earlier this year, according to records from the Richmond County Clerk.
The Muslim American Society of Staten Island is thrilled to be the new owners of the Huguenot Library location, a spokesperson for the nonprofit told the Advance/SILive.com. As an institution dedicated to community education and scholarship, we re honored to carry on the legacy of providing a valuable resource to the community through our center. We re also excited about the new library facility that has been long sought after by our communities.
This isn t the first project headed up by the Muslim American Society of Staten Island. Earlier this year, the organization opened a massive $7 million community center in Dongan Hills.
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