Sunset Park Library

Organization Name: Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc.

Project Title: Sunset Park Library

Project Location: Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Project Description:
An innovative partnership between the Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) and the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) replaced the old Sunset Park Library branch with a new, eight-story mixed-use development offering 20,000 sf of library space across two and a half floors, and 49 units of affordable housing (plus one super’s unit). The apartments are for low- and moderate-income residents who earn between 30% and 80% of Area Median Income. Eight units receive Section 8 subsidies. A second-floor community room opens onto a landscaped terrace providing residents with protected outdoor space. Magnusson Architecture and Planning was the architect of record and designed the residential portion of the building, while the library’s interior and curtain-wall façade were designed by Mitchell Giurgola Architects. Funders include New York State Homes & Community Renewal, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development, The Bank of New York Mellon, and the National Equity Fund.

Community Impact:
In addition to providing much needed and deeply affordable housing, the new library is double the size of the old branch space. Its glass front brightens the streetscape, opens the building to the community and welcomes visitors. The large windows also bring natural light into the reading and learning spaces within.

Above, a brick exterior follows the neighborhood’s well-established material aesthetic, making it a respectful and contextual addition to the area. The masonry gives way to lighter gray setbacks and insets on the façade, breaking the mass and moderating the structure’s presence. Corbelled brick and variations in both coursing and color along with blue panels in the window surrounds give the facade a liveliness that complements the dynamism of the fully glazed library below.

Organization Description:
Fifth Avenue Committee’s mission is to advance economic, social, and racial justice in NYC through integrated, community-centered affordable housing, grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, and transformative education, training and services that build the power to shape the community’s future. FAC builds physical infrastructure; fosters community through organizing; and transforms the lives of individuals and families with direct services. FAC has developed over 1,400 affordable homes and has a development pipeline totaling more than 2,000 units.

Team Members:

Brooklyn Public Library
Magnusson Architecture and Planning
Mitchell Giurgola
Galaxy General Contracting Corp.