Long-delayed Kew Gardens Hills Library nears completion in Queens

A Queens library project that’s been half a dozen years in the making is finally nearing completion, construction site photos by Field Condition have revealed. The very contemporary revamp of the Kew Gardens Hills Library was first announced in 2010, but it wasn’t until sometime in 2013 that construction actually got underway, according to the Queens Jewish Link.

The paper’s investigation also revealed that the delays were likely caused due to poor work by the contractor on the project, and the fact that the city agency managing the project, the Department of Design and Construction, did not follow up to ensure its timely completion.

That very department was already under fire after a report was released earlier this year that said projects undertaken by the agency were delayed four years on average due to bureaucratic red tape.

But with all of those delays behind them, residents of Kew Gardens Hills can finally look forward to their expanded library opening soon. What’s more the design, by architecture firm WORKac is identical to the early renderings of the project.

The revamp added 3,000 square feet to the existing 8,400-square-foot library. When it opens, the library will offer twice the number of computers it previously did, a rooftop garden, open spaces for kids, teens, and adults, and conference rooms. WORKac’s design is meant to resemble an open book, and is notable for its facade made of glass fiber reinforced concrete.

• After Massive Delays, Kew Gardens Hills Library Eyes A Fall Opening [QJL]
• NYC libraries await fixes for four years on average, report finds [Curbed]
• New Queens Library Design Threatens to Make Reading Cool [Curbed]