Two of Brooklyn’s oldest cultural institutions are joining forces.
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Brooklyn Public Library celebrated the opening of the new-and-improved Brower Park Library inside BCM's facility with local electeds and community members on July 20. The modern space accommodates people of all ages, with designated spaces for children, teens and adults to gather, read, work and learn.
Founded in 1899, BCM is the oldest children’s museum in the country. The Brooklyn Public Library system was founded just three years earlier, in 1896. Now, the two institutions have come under the same roof to serve Brooklyn families.
“This is a friendship that goes back to 1896, So about 125 years,” said Linda Johnson, Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO. “And we're finally moving in together.”
Located on St. Marks Avenue, just a few blocks away from BCM, the original Brower Park Library fell into disrepair in 2017. According to the Brooklyn Public Library, the space needed approximately $8 million in total repairs, including roof and HVAC system updates. This sparked the idea to reopen a new branch inside the nearby BCM, cementing the relationship between the two. The choice was cost-effective — the construction of the new library cost $6 million.
“It was a no-brainer,” said Stephanie Wilchford, president and CEO of BCM, about the collaboration. “We needed to come together as a community to make sure that our cultural institutions, our cultural resources, our community resources, were not average.”
The library is on the museum's bottom floor, where BCM corporate offices were previously housed. The space features dedicated rooms for books of all genres and reading levels, a gathering space for teens and a craft room for kids. The design was headed by Zack Mckown of architecture firm TsAO & McKown.
The design of the new library was partially informed by community input, who shared what it would like to see in the space, Wilchford said.
"I love that our community felt empowered and free to tell us what they needed and what kinds of resources were valuable," said Wilchford.
Thursday’s celebration kicked off on the rooftop pavilion of BCM, where around 150 guests were treated to food and live music. Several elected officials spoke at the event, including State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Council Member Chi Osse, and Assemblymember Brian Cunningham.
“For the Brooklyn Public Library and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum to join forces under this roof is an overdue partnership,” said Osse, the head of City Council’s cultural affairs committee. “It will be a great gift to this neighborhood and to children and families across Brooklyn.”
The new branch also displays works from BCM’s collection of more than 30,000 objects. Brooklyn Public Library and BCM will continue the collaboration with the “Collections Connections” program, which will bring objects from the museum to Brooklyn Public Library branches for exhibition.
For Brower Park Library's open hours, check here.
