I visited the Nyack Public Library in Nyack, New York, on April 10, 2024, with friends Emily and Kate. We were in town to discuss Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers. McCullers was born in Georgia but lived most of her adult life in Nyack. Her house is a few blocks down from the library. More on that in a subsequent post.

The sign reads:

“First organized in 1879 using rented quarters, the Nyack Library building was erected in 1903. It was designed by local architects Marshall and Henry Emery. Andrew Carnegi donated $15,000 and the villages of Nyack, South Nyack, Upper Nyack and Grand View – on -Hudson agreed to furnish the required annual funding.

The Carnegie Room is the original library and the building facade has remained unchanged.

The Nyack Library is the only Carnegie Library in Rockland County.

The Friends of the Nyack Library, 2003″

A view of the original library facade and the walkway leading to the new main entrance. Barbara Corwin designed the steel and glass addition which opened on May 7, 2011.

The cornerstone peeks through the vines. It was laid on May 21, 1903, and the library opened on January 16, 1904.

The new addition did not seem so large from the street. That’s Emily and Kate.

Where old and new meet.

Outdoor space to the right of the new main entrance.

In the new arrivals section, the circulation desk is off to the right. It was a busy weekday, so I didn’t take nearly as many interior photos as I would have liked. That’s my friend Kate browsing new books, but otherwise, I avoid taking photos with patrons. Yes, the library is a public space, but I believe it is also a sacred space where people should have privacy, at least from other patrons’ cameras.

Short ceilings = short stacks that are more browseable. The natural light streaming in from the left is a window that faces the street and the light to the right —

— is an open atrium-like space.

These colorful, whimsical Starburst sculptures dangle in the atrium. This photo was taken from the second floor.

About the artist. The placard reads:

Starbursts, c. 2000
Medium: Enamel on Aluminum
Artist: Dorothy M. Gillespie (1920-2012)

Dorothy Gillespie was an American painter and sculptor who was born in Roanoke, VA, in 1920. She enjoyed an artistic career that spanned over 70 years before her death at 92 in 2012. She studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the Art Students League in New York City.

Gilespie is best known for her large-scale highly colorful painted arrangements of cut aluminum strips. Her works can be found in public and private collections around the country. In Rockland County her outdoor sculptures are on display at Camp Venture in Sparkill, and Blue Hill Art and Cultural Center in Orangetown. In 2003 Dorothy Gillespie received Rockland County’s Distinguished Service Award.

On loan from the Dorothy M. Gillespie Foundation
On display – 2nd Floor Circulation Area.

A bright and cheerful cafe-like space. The stairs lead into a large reference room with lots of study seating.

Light-filled and airy. The dark wooden endcaps nod to the past, but the shelves are open and seem to float. A librarian is ready to help at the reference desk.

This space was very busy, so my photos won’t do the room justice. To the right are windows facing the street, and to the left is a wall of windows with counter-style desk space facing the Hudson River. There are also free-standing tables. Working/studious patrons filled every seat.

The view of the Hudson River.

Art is sprinkled throughout the library. Mr. Dickens has the best view.

Older tech is still ready to work. There is a magnifier that projects the image under study onto the screen. This window faces the street.

Back to the other side of the building and heading into the original library building.

One complaint about old Carnegie libraries was that they were often dark inside. Wall space was maximized for shelving. This library does not have that problem. What a glorious room. Notice the newspaper rack to the left.

I was thrilled to see this old soldier still in use! I’ve tried to explain these newspaper holders to younger folks, so it’s nice to have a visual example.

The newspapers in this photo are simply draped over the holders, but back in the day, the newspaper would be opened and slid between the slats of wood and then secured, the top of the stick usually cinched with a metal band. These sticks kept the newspaper in order and fresher for more readers to enjoy. They probably helped keep them from walking out of the library, accidentally or on purpose. The rack kept the newspapers tidy and visible instead of stacked on a table.

Reading a newspaper on a stick is not very comfortable, but this simple invention helped solve an access problem when print was the main news source and in high demand.

The other side of the original library room features a grand fireplace.

Fireplace mantel details. Litterae; In Memoriaum Quentin McAdam and Anna Booth; Sapientia.

This arch is directly across from the original entrance and features a portrait of Andrew Carnegie. The writing reads, “This building was erected by the gift of Andrew Carnegie in the year nineteen hundred and three.” The view beyond looks into the new arrivals area.

In the photo above, from The Local History Room’s webpage, you can see the reference/circulation desk was originally under the archway, with book stacks behind.

To the arch’s right is a plaque honoring librarian Helen L. Powell. It reads, “In memory of Helen L. Powell who devoted sixty years of service to the public as its librarian, 1897-1957.

Here are a few art pieces that caught my eye. The painting is in the new section, and the two sculptures are in the original part of the library.

The library has an ongoing book sale on the lower level. We each found something to purchase here. A few important areas that I did not photograph include public computer workspaces, a maker space, the local history room, and the children’s section.

Back out front, your friendly blogger striking a pose.

The children of Nyack gifted the town this Lincoln Memorial Boulder, unveiled on June 13, 1908. It is adorned with a plaque bearing the Gettysburg Address, which Abraham Lincoln delivered only 45 years prior. The New York Heritage Digital Collections website has a historic photo of Civil War veterans posing with the boulder on unveiling day.

If you have time to visit the digital collections and browse around, there are more photos of the library, including the construction of the first addition in 1974, the 2011 addition, and some historical documents (one dating back to 1796).

Visiting the Nyack Public Library was a delight. I hope you’ve enjoyed these photos and that you stop in if you’re in the area.

Nyack Public Library
59 S Broadway
Nyack, NY 10960
nyacklibrary.org

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To see other libraries I’ve visited, click here.