BY GABE HERMAN | The Jefferson Market Library will reopen on Sun., July 28, after being closed for renovation work since April 1, though with limited access while work continues in certain areas.
The branch, at 425 Sixth Ave., between W. Ninth and 10th Sts., was closed in the spring to begin a $10 million renovation project. The first sections to reopen will be the lower level and first floor starting July 28. These areas include the first-floor children’s area and the lower level for adults, which includes books, computers and programming, according to a notice from Dawn Chance, associate director for the Lower Manhattan Neighborhood Library Network.
The library will reopen, but with a revised schedule due to ongoing construction, and may change further as the work continues. The upcoming library hours will be 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The nearby Hudson Park branch — which had extended hours after the Jefferson Market renovations began — has now returned to its normal schedule.
The renovation project at Jefferson Market Library includes reconfiguring the entrance; installing new and upgraded elevators that will service all floors; upgrading restrooms to make them handicap-accessible; improving IT wiring and increasing public space. A ramp for accessibility — on which work has yet to begin — will also be added at the building’s rear, along W. 10th St. between Sixth and Greenwich Aves.
The Village branch’s temporary closing was originally scheduled for this past winter, but changed to April based on community feedback, according to a New York Public Library spokesperson. She also noted that the community response about the July 28 reopening “has been very enthusiastic.”
When Jefferson Market Library was set to close temporarily this past spring, the entire renovation project was scheduled to be finished by summer 2020, according to the N.Y.P.L., but the completion date is now expected to be spring 2021.
