New York, New York
St. Agnes library had served for a century as a cultural center for Manhattan’s Upper West Side community – though through heavy use and a few only serviceable renovations, it slowly declined. The inaccessible library branch finally closed in 2006, the worse for wear. However, during a time when the New York Public Library found itself cash-strapped, funds already allocated went towards a transformation designed by Helpern Architects. The result is what Dr. Paul LeClerc, former New York Public Library president/CEO, proudly called “the single best renovation of a Carnegie library I have ever seen.”
