Community Corner
Photos: This Is Brooklyn Heights' Temporary New Library
The much smaller space is a replacement for the Cadman Plaza branch, due to be demolished.
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn Heights Library's temporary new branch is ready to welcome its first guests on Wednesday, July 27. Starting at 10 a.m., the branch, located inside Our Lady of Lebanon Church at 109 Remsen St., will temporarily take over the duties of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)'s 280 Cadman Plaza West location, which shut its doors for good at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Following a public and highly contentious battle over its fate, the former library's property was purchased by Hudson Companies for $52 million. The developer will turn it into a 36-story luxury condo tower with a new library inside.
The temporary branch — which will remain open until that new library is completed — has space for about 16,000 books, according to head librarian Uldis Skrodelis, who moved over from the Cadman Plaza building. The branch also has 34 laptops for patrons to use, each of which is wirelessly connected to a printer.
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Inside the temporary branch on Tuesday afternoon. Photos by John V. Santore
Other amenities include a children's reading area, a programming room with a movie projector, and a cell phone charging station.
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As an extra literary touch, one of the space's glass walls will be adorned with the poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by Walt Whitman, who once lived in Brooklyn Heights.
The location is, however, much smaller than Cadman Plaza, which had two floors and provided numerous reading and work areas.
A table and computers in the children's area
The librarian said he started his BPL career at the Brooklyn Heights branch in 1977, when he was assigned to the location on his first day of work.
"I've made many friends over the years," Skrodelis said. "I'm very happy that we will be able to open up this wonderful interim location. It's a very well-done space."
The temporary branch will be open during the following days and hours:
- Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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