By Mark Hallum
As construction proceeded on the eye-catching Hunters Point Community Library, a topping out ceremony was held last week with Queens Library President Dennis Walcott, elected officials and architect Steven Holl to mark the completion of the steel framing and exterior. The structure, a modern design which looks out over the East River, will give visitors a stunning view of Manhattan while sitting against the backdrop of the high-rise condominiums of Long Island City.
The 22,000-square-foot building at 47-40 Center Blvd. is box-shaped with large diagonal cutouts serving as windows. The final finish will be an aluminum paint.
Funding for the project came in the form of $38 million from a variety of sources such as Borough President Melinda Katz, the mayor’s office, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s office, and state Sen. Michael Gianaris’ office, among others.
“Long Island City, as you can see, is growing by the day. Buildings are going up by the day, and it so happens to be a place where a lot of young families have moved into,” Gianaris said at the Sept. 29 event. “One thing we’ve worked really hard to build in these communities are libraries, and this one is going to be one of the crown jewels of the system.”
The American flag was raised from a rope at the roof of the building, and then later dropped to half-mast in honor of FDNY’s Battalion Chief Michael J. Fahy, who was killed Sept. 27 responding to a call in the Bronx, Walcott said.
Van Bramer was able to allocate $15 million to the project over a period of time, he said.
“Steven Holl has become a fast-friend because we shared a vision for this parcel of land,” Van Bramer said. “That this library wouldn’t just be four walls and a roof, but it would actually be a temple to learning, a temple for knowledge, and really an inspiration to every single person who will see it, not only from the other side of the river, Manhattan, but from the people who live on this side and see it from here.”
As the sponsors signed their names on the building during the dedication, Van Bramer included the name of Fausta Ippollito, an LIC resident and mother of two who had long advocated with public officials to give the community more library space. As one of the earliest organizers of the project, Ippollito led a petition drive, which collected thousands of signatures of people who supported the construction of a new library. Ippollito died in 2011 from a rare form of cancer and was not able to see the ground breaking of the Hunters Point Library in May 2015.
“We are entitled in Queens County to have landmarks. Not just landmarks of buildings that were built a hundred years ago,” Van Bramer said, “but even more importantly, to construct buildings that we know are landmarks the day they open.”
Holl said his vision for building was not just to take up the entirety of the lot, but to build it vertically to make room for a reading garden in the back and give those on the fourth floor stunning views of the surrounding area.
The library is expected to open next summer.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
