The opening of the much-anticipated Hunters Point Library in Long Island City is delayed again after a strike in Spain pushed back the delivery of special glass that will be used in construction.
The five-and-a-half story building broke ground in 2015 at 47-40 Center Blvd. and was designed by Steven Holl Architects. Plans for the library were first announced in 2012 and the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) agreed to tweak the design after Hurricane Sandy hit to prevent future damage.
It was expected to cost $28.6 million and be completed by 2014 but at a Nov. 2015 meeting with the DDC, officials said it would be finished by winter 2017 and cost $29,690,346. According to a spokesperson for the DDC, the glass used for the windows at the building was purchased from a company in Connecticut.
But due to the limited availability of the glass in America the company fabricates it in Germany and glazes it in Spain. Workers in Spain went on strike, which will delay the shipment of the glass by six weeks. DNAinfo first reported the story.
“We are currently waiting on delivery of specialized glass to complete the remarkable Hunters Point Library, which will offer sweeping views of the East River and Manhattan,” the spokesperson said. “We anticipate that DDC will complete construction in September, at which point the building will be turned over to the Queens Public Library for fitting out.”
Larry Lafargue, external affairs representative at the DDC, said in Nov. 2015 that the project was set to be complete in winter 2017. After construction is complete, Queens Library will need approximately four months to furbish the building, shelve the books and other materials and install computers and other electronic equipment, according to Queens Library spokesperson Elisabeth de Bourbon.
Changes have been made to the plans throughout the construction process, including the exclusion of a reflecting pool at the courtyard near Gantry Plaza State Park. Instead, the space will be filled with small tables and chairs. The original design also included side doors for the community to have access to the meeting room after-hours but that was scrapped from the plan.
Long Island City residents will be able to utilize a mobile library at Gantry Plaza State Park until the library officially opens.
