Eastern Parkway Branch Library, Brooklyn, New York City

Eastern Parkway Branch Library, Brooklyn, NYC

August 27, 2026

Architects: Allied Works

Location: 1044 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, New York City, NY, United States of America

Brooklyn’s Beloved Eastern Parkway Library Breaks Ground On Expansion Designed By Allied Works

Renderings courtesy Allied Works

The $36 million renovation will honor the original Carnegie Library and increase the library’s public space by more than 50% to better serve the community.
Rendering shows the exterior of the Eastern Parkway Library, which will undergo major renovations, expanding the building’s public space by more than 50 percent. DDC is managing the project for BPL.

Brooklyn, NY, August 27, 2026 — Today, Portland and Brooklyn-based architecture firm Allied Works, NYC Department of Design and Construction and Brooklyn Public Library announced the groundbreaking of the $36.85 million expansion of Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway Library, adding over 50 percent more public space for patrons. The library is located at 1044 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, and DDC is managing the project for BPL.

The Eastern Parkway Branch Library has served Crown Heights for over a century. Designed by Raymond Almirall and completed in 1914 as part of Andrew Carnegie’s gift to New York City’s branch library system, the Classical Revival building has remained one of Brooklyn Public Library’s most heavily used branches.

“Libraries are the beating heart of civic spaces in New York, providing essential spaces and services to every community. Our redesign of the Eastern Parkway Library honors the 112-year-old building and the people it serves, paying homage to the original Carnegie library building, while expanding its public spaces,” said Brad Cloepfil, Principal, Founder, Allied Works. “We are honored to participate in ushering in a new era for this branch—the busiest in the BPL system—stewarded by the visionary teams at the Brooklyn Public Library and the NYC Department of Design and Construction.”

“Libraries are where New Yorkers go to learn, discover and imagine what is possible, and they deserve spaces that meet the needs of our city today,” said Mayor Mamdani. “This $36 million investment will make Eastern Parkway Library fully accessible, more energy efficient and more welcoming, while honoring the architecture that has made this branch a beloved part of Crown Heights for more than a century. With more natural light, a green courtyard, a reading terrace and spaces for kids, teens and families, we are giving New Yorkers a library worthy of the community it serves.”

Following robust community engagement, the $36 million project will honor its historic architecture with a new 13,400-square-foot, three-story wing along Schenectady Avenue. The material palette of untreated Belgian oak, coal terrazzo, perforated metal ceilings, precast concrete is grounded and unhurried. Inside the existing reading rooms, the original arched windows are restored to their full presence, with the new construction exhibiting restraint rather than assertion.

Allied Works’ project addresses the building comprehensively, restoring the original structure to its architectural integrity. The addition pays homage to the original building, introducing a double-height reading room filled with natural light, a reading mezzanine, and a suite of new dedicated spaces for children, teens, and adult learners. On the reading mezzanine, a public art commission by Brooklyn-based artist Oasa DuVerney will depict a series of reflective portraits of writers from the African diaspora, selected in part through community engagement.

Rendering shows the interior of Eastern Parkway Library with new modern light fixtures, upgraded main desk and reading areas. The project will make the library fully ADA-compliant.

The design further allows for dedicated reading and learning spaces, including a multipurpose room with a projector, main reading room, a teen zone, two children zones, a S.T.E.A.M. room, community room and a classroom in the restored fireplace room. Additional accessible greenspace will be brought to Crown Heights readers, seeing a renovated courtyard with outdoor seating and a third-floor reading terrace with surrounding gardens.

A new ADA accessible ramped entrance resolves longstanding barriers, while a new elevator and restrooms will make the library fully ADA-compliant. The Adult Learning Center finds a permanent home on the lower floor. Sustainable systems—including a green roof, high-performance glazing, and upgraded HVAC—are designed for the preservation of the collection and the long-term reduction of energy use.

The building will have modern light fixtures, allowing for energy-efficient lighting that will reduce electricity costs for the library. The plumbing, HVAC and fire alarm systems will be upgraded. After the renovation, the library is expected to achieve a LEED Silver Certification.

“The Eastern Parkway Library has served Brooklyn for over a century. The renovation—which will bring more natural light into the branch, add modern technology, and create inspiring spaces—will ensure that Eastern Parkway Library can serve the community for another 100 years,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library. “Thanks to Settlement Housing Fund, Amazon and Ikea, we are opening a temporary library in the neighborhood this Fall, ensuring vital library services remain accessible throughout the construction process.”

“The Eastern Parkway Library is an architectural gem in the Crown Heights community and one of the busiest libraries in Brooklyn, and we are thrilled to break ground on this amazing project,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa. “This project is not only upgrading the interior of this unique, two-story building, but we are also making it fully ADA-compliant and expanding public space by more than 50 percent! This is what the community asked for, and what we’ll be delivering.”

Funding for the project is provided by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the Office of the Mayor, the New York City Council, and the New York State Assembly. In addition to Allied Works, DDC is working with MPCC Corp, and expects to hand over the library to BPL in Summer 2028. The library will then begin the process of bringing books in the branch, installing computers and making other finishing touches, which is expected to take eight to 12 weeks.

The Eastern Parkway Library is the first of three upcoming projects that Allied Works is executing with the DDC, including EMS Station 17 and Jackson Heights Library, and received a 2020 Excellence in Design Award from the NYC Public Design Commission. Since its founding, Allied Works has built a body of work that gives enduring form to civic and community life including the National Music Centre of Canada, Palmer Museum of Art, National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and Providence Park.

Allied Works

Allied Works is an integrated architecture and design practice whose projects and creative works seek to inspire and elevate the individuals, institutions, and organizations it serves. Established in 1994 by Brad Cloepfil and operating from studios in Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon, the practice has grown steadily through the completion of major museum and cultural projects, innovative educational facilities, residences, and workplaces—all of varied scale, purpose, and character—in locations across the globe. This diversity is intentional as it presents perspectives from all fields of practice, offers new insights and opportunities and advances the search for innovative solutions.

Allied Works explores and integrates all aspects of the built environment and expression, from urban design and broader site response to the design of finely tuned interior environments, graphic design, furniture, and diverse applied arts pieces. Notable works include the Wieden+Kennedy World Headquarters in Portland, Oregon; the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado; the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio; the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta; and a United States Embassy compound in Maputo, Mozambique. Additional recent and current projects include the Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State; a new United States Embassy Compound in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; a major expansion to the Vero Beach Museum of Art; and a renovation of Roundabout Theatre Company’s flagship Broadway venue, the Todd Haimes Theatre.

NYC Department of Design and Construction

The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager, providing New York’s diverse communities in all five boroughs with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains. To manage this $34 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.

Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home.

We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.

Allied Works

Eastern Parkway Branch Library, Brooklyn, New York City images / information received 270826 from Allied Works architects studio

Phone: +1 718-953-4225

Address: 1044 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, New York City, NY 11213,, United States of America.

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