The renovation and addition to New City Library brings the library into the 21st-century, creating a hub of innovation and learning for the growing community in Rockland County, NY. VMDO engaged librarians, staff, and residents to establish a new vision for the aging 1980s library building. The resulting building and user experience are built on the principles of transparency, flexibility, accessibility, and lifelong learning.

The unique existing building was gutted and re-imagined as an entirely new interior landscape that leverages the split-level, top-lit structure of the original facility. An addition to the north expands the useable area by introducing much-needed new space for a burgeoning children’s library and by expanding the outdoor garden space. The new integrated service point (ISP) welcomes patrons at the building entry, and the relocated staff area near the ISP creates a more efficient use of office space. Two large meeting rooms and a catering kitchen are located along the main circulation spine. A new Special Collections space and dedicated reading room allows the library’s large-format map collection to be fully accessible for the first time.

The exterior of the new addition is a careful assemblage of materials that both complement the original brick building and resonate with local history and geology. The brick blend echoes the 1980s exterior, and the Dutch bond on the base brick hearkens back to the architectural heritage of the Hudson Valley.