Jackson Heights Branch, QBPL, Queens
35-51 81st Street
S. Keller, 1949-52
NYC HD
A relative latecomer amongst the early 20th century garden apartment buildings and homes that characterize the Jackson Heights Historic District, the Jackson Heights Branch was constructed just after World War II. The building is an excellent example of the International Style with its simple, asymmetrical and unornamented facade. The cast stone and glass building with a flat roof occupies a large midblock site. The box-shaped entryway includes a recessed bay made up of three glass and aluminum doors with transoms and windows rising to the second floor. On either side of the entrance bay are two vertical rows of small square window openings, which provide some of the only ornament on the façade. Above the entrance, the raised metal letters and numbers identifying the library still retain their mid-century typeface. The Jackson Heights branch is located in the Jackson Heights Historic District.