The Mott Haven Branch of The New York Public Library, located at 140th Street and Alexander Avenue in the Bronx, opened in 1905. The library building was designed by the architectural firm of Babb, Cook and Willard and was constructed with funds...
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The Mott Haven Branch of The New York Public Library, located at 140th Street and Alexander Avenue in the Bronx, opened in 1905. The library building was designed by the architectural firm of Babb, Cook and Willard and was constructed with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. It was modeled after Carnegie's residence (now the Cooper-Hewitt Museum) and is the oldest public library building in the Bronx. The original cost of the three-story, 15,342 sq. ft. building was $96,796. The Mott Haven Branch served as headquarters of the Bronx Bookmobile from 1953-1979. In 1967, Mott Haven was one of eight NYPL branches to participate in the South Bronx Project, an effort to introduce new services in predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. The Project employed Spanish-speaking staff, established collections of Spanish and bilingual materials, and presented library programs in cooperation with social service agencies. Reports, administrative files and publicity material documenting operations of the Mott Haven Branch of The New York Public Library.
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