Left to right: Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, QPL Chief Librarian Nick Buron, QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, Central Library Assistant Director Jillian Hayes, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards
QPL’s Central Library Building on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica Turns 60
JAMAICA, NY_ Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, NYC Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, along with library staff and community members, marked the 60th anniversary of Central Library at 89-11 Merrick Boulevard on Monday, April 20.
“For 60 years, Central Library has been the hub of the QPL system and the center of community life for the people of Queens,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “Our incredible, innovative, and caring staff have continuously worked to adapt our offerings, providing free access to information, resources, and opportunity to help the public be successful in their lives. We look forward to many more decades of service."
QPL’s Central Library has a long history of innovation and community service. The original Central Library at 89-14 Parsons Boulevard opened in 1930, but it quickly outgrew its space as demand for services expanded.
The current building was designed by York & Sawyer, Kiff, Colean, Voss and Souder. Built for $5.7 million and spanning 195,000 square feet, it introduced a groundbreaking concept for its time as the first major urban library in the nation to place all public services on a single floor—an intentional design that emphasized openness, accessibility, and ease of use for all visitors.
The building first opened its doors to the public on April 11, 1966, and celebrated its official Grand Opening on April 19, 1966.
Since then, Central Library has continued to evolve to meet the needs of a growing and diverse community, including a major renovation in 1989 and further upgrades such as the addition of the Children’s Library Discovery Center (CLDC) in 2011. The CLDC is a two-story, 22,000 square feet wing that is dedicated solely to materials and services for children. It contains interactive science and S.T.E.A.M exhibits and an Early Childhood Education Center to help guide the next generation of Queens residents.
Central Library is also home to an Adult Learning Center, a Teen Center, computer center, the Carter G. Woodson Reference Collection, the city’s largest circulating collection of sheet music and the Archives, which focuses on preserving Queens’s history.
Central Library circulates materials in 33 languages in addition to English. In total, it houses approximately 980,000 items—including books, DVDs, microfilm, and microfiche—spread across the main floor and two of its three sublevels. Last year alone, the building welcomed more than 710,000 visitors and circulated 736, 000 items.
Central Library on Merrick Boulevard opened in April 1966.
“When Central Library moved to this location in 1966, it did so at a moment of change in Queens, and it continued to evolve to meet the needs of a growing borough. Sixty years later, that same commitment still defines this institution,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “Every day, this library sends a powerful message to the people it serves: you belong here, your curiosity matters, and your future is not determined by your ZIP code or your income. Congratulations to Queens Public Library and to President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott on this milestone.”
“It’s been 60 amazing years of the Queens Public Library’s Central Library location, and I’m happy to celebrate with the community such a momentous anniversary,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Our libraries are the heartbeat of our borough that serve as a lifeline for all our neighbors, regardless of age or socioeconomic status. Here's to 60 more years of the Central Library, one of the most important democratic institutions in our city!"
“For sixty years, the Queens Public Library has been at the heart of the most diverse county in the nation,” said New York State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “On any given day, people from all over the world walk through our library doors speaking more than 100 languages. They read their hometown newspapers. They connect with multicultural programs and resources built for the communities they come from. More than 710,000 visitors came through those doors last year alone. The New York State Senate will present a resolution celebrating this occasion, sponsored by every Queens State Senator. I congratulate the Queens Public Library on this milestone and thank President and CEO Dennis Walcott, the staff, and the volunteers who keep these doors open every single day.”
“Queens Public Library’s Central Library has been a cornerstone in our community for 60 years, serving as more than just a library, it’s a space where our community comes together,” said New York State Senator Leroy Comrie. “I’ve had the opportunity to host events there and see firsthand how it transforms into a place for connection, learning, and opportunity for residents of all ages. From supporting our students and families to providing critical resources for seniors and job seekers, Central Library continues to meet people where they are. I’m proud to support Queens Public Library and look forward to its continued impact across Queens.”
“For 60 years, Queens Public Library’s Central Library has been a consistent and vital part of community life, creating access to information, opportunity, and connection for generations of New Yorkers,” New York City Council Deputy Speaker Dr. Nantasha Williams. “Libraries do a level of day-to-day work in this city that often goes unnoticed, supporting students, providing access to technology, helping people navigate services, and serving as a steady, reliable presence in communities across Queens, including for many of us who grew up here, like me. That role has only expanded, and it has to be reflected in how they are funded and supported. As we mark this milestone, the focus is not only on celebrating what the library has been but making sure it has what it needs to continue operating at that level. That means stable, baseline investment, and a clear commitment to sustaining libraries across our city.”
During the event, Central Library received proclamations from Borough President Donovan Richards and State Senators Toby Ann Stavisky and Leroy Comrie in recognition of its 60th anniversary.
The milestone was celebrated with family-friendly activities, interactive workshops, an exhibit highlighting the library’s legacy, and a concert honoring legendary Queens musicians.
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About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has five bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
CONTACT: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, ekern@queenslibrary.org