Washington Heights Library Opens $4.4 Million Teen, Adult Education Center

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The New York Public Library celebrated the opening of a $4.4 million Teen and Adult education center in the third floor of its Washington Heights library branch Friday.

Area residents, local elected officials and library managers were on hand Friday to cut a ribbon and announce the 3,750 square-foot space will be open to the public. The new space features room for after-school programs, media and computer programs and extra room for general use, according to a library press release.

The library will also feature a 25-seat classroom, eight-seat study room and computers equipped with IT and audio-visual tools for Adult visitors of the library.

Along with the new educational facilities the renovation also included improvements to the building itself. The library is now equipped with heating and cooling equipment, new bathrooms a new roof and a restored façade, according to a library press release.

"With this important renovation, we are able to offer the Washington Heights community the wide array for educational programs it has long wanted and needed, transforming a long-vacant space into a center for teens, tech training, and adult learning," NYPL President Tony Marx said in a statement.

Also in attendance Friday were members of the Clark family, who used to live in the third-floor space. Raymond Clark, who was referred to as the "king of the library" by his granddaughter, served as the library's custodian for decades while living above it.

Clark's son Ronald, who lived in the building during the 70s, said he hoped that the teenagers using the facility learn to love the library as much as he did.

"I’m happy that it’s going to be used; I grew up there as a teen, and I know that upstairs space will be a great spot for teens,” Clark said in a statement. "It is difficult to put into words what a difference it made to me and my daughter growing up in a library. It was a life changer. To be able to access that knowledge, to have it at your fingertips."

The Washington Heights library, located on St. Nicholas Avenue near West 160th Street, was reopened in 2014 after a series of renovations, according to a press release. This year the library has had more than 145,000 visits, which represents a 12 percent increase from the year before.

The latest renovation project was funded in part by the offices of City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"This is a proud day for the Washington Heights community as our treasured library will now provide even more services to our students and neighbors," Rodriguez said in a statement.

"I am so happy to support this project, bringing more educational resources to our hard working residents. This tech center will help to foster interest in tech education and lead students from our neighborhood to be the next scientists, doctors and tech designers of the future. This space should be used every day by those seeking the boundless knowledge our libraries have to offer and I look forward to bringing my daughters here as well."

Photos courtesy of New York Public Library