3041 Kingsbridge Ave
1905, McKim, Mead & White

This former Branch of the New York Public Library was established in 1894 by Dr. James Douglas as the Kingsbridge Free Library. A local resident, Douglas was a vestryman at the Church of the Mediator, and in 1902 he offered to donate this property so that a new Library could be built in the neighborhood. With funds contributed by Andrew Carnegie, this neo-Federal style building opened in 1905, and became the second NYPL branch in The Bronx. The one-story, three-bay, red brick structure has splayed stone lintels characteristic of the style, as well as an oversized pedimented entrance. By the late 1920s, the library was overcrowded but no plans to renovate or expand it were ever implemented. In later years, the opening of new branches in Van Cortland and Riverdale prompted the reduction of the library's service area, and in 1959 it was replaced by a new building at 280 West 231st street. The original building was sold to the Church of the Mediator in 1960, and in 1982 it was converted to a Preschool, which still uses the property today. Photo courtesy of the NYPL.