Port Richmond Branch, NYPL, Staten Island
75 Bennett Street
Carrère & Hastings,1904-05
The first libraries on Staten Island were found within institutions and public schools as early as the 1830s, as a result of the influence of New England settlers. Prior to the establishment of branch libraries on Staten Island, public reading rooms began to operate in the mid-19th century. With the Carnegie grant, the NYPL established four branches on Staten Island, enlisting the help of residents to determine the best locations for each. The sites were chosen based on the borough’s concentrations of population and geographic diversity. Port Richmond has been a major port and commercial center on Staten Island since the early 19th century, and this library, situated across from a public park, has been an important civic structure since its completion. Its Classical Revival style façades feature a prominent, projecting central entrance bay with a grand, columned portico. The Port Richmond branch was designated a New York City Individual Landmark in 1998.