St Agnes Branch NYPL (Thursday Doors)

a book of luminous things–
the sun and the moon,
the beautiful things that heaven bears

St Agnes is now my local library branch. I’ve been going there for years, though, because once a month, pre-pandemic, they had a booksale in their basement with thousands of books, CDs, DVDs, and paper ephemera donated by patrons. I’m anxiously awaiting its return, not only as a source for books to read, but for inexpensive reference books for my collages.

I decided to do a book spine poem in tribute–the top two books are books I’m currently reading, and the bottom one is one I’ve already read, all courtesy of sales from years past. All highly recommended.

Here’s the well-worn and welcoming front door. There’s a ramp on the left side for strollers or wheelchairs, and an elevator inside, making the books wheelchair-accessible. I was so happy when it reopened at the end of last summer.

The library originally housed the NYPL Library for the Blind, which has since moved to 25th Street. The building was designed by architectural firm Babb, Cook & Willard for the West End Club, taken over by a bicycling group, the Century Wheelmen Club, and acquired by the city in 1905 when Andrew Carnegie donated over 5 million dollars to establish free libraries in NYC. The original book collection was housed in space owned by the St. Agnes Chapel on West 91st Street, and, having outgrown itself, was sold to the city in 1901 for one dollar.

You can read a more complete history, and see more photos, here.

My mother was a librarian, so books have always had an important place in my life. Libraries are truly a gift we should support and cherish, a world of knowledge open to everyone.

And see more Thursday Doors, hosted by Dan Antion, here.