115th Street Library

New York Public Library
Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library, July 2026
Location203 W. 115th St., New York, New York
Coordinates40°48′10″N 73°57′14″W / 40.80278°N 73.95389°W / 40.80278; -73.95389
Arealess than one acre
Built1907
ArchitectMcKim, Mead & White
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Neo Italian Renaissance
NRHP reference No.80002704
NYCL No.0298
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 6, 1980
Designated NYCLJuly 12, 1967

The Harry Belafonte 115th Street Branch of the New York Public Library is a historic library building located in Harlem, New York City. It was designed by McKim, Mead & White and built in 1907–1908 and opened on November 6, 1908. It is a three-story-high, three-bay-wide building faced in deeply rusticated gray limestone in a Neo Italian Renaissance style. The branch was one of 65 built by the New York Public Library with funds provided by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, 11 of them designed by McKim, Mead & White. The building is 50 feet wide and features three evenly spaced arched openings on the first floor. The branch served as Harlem cultural center and hub of organizing efforts.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2017, the branch was renamed to honor Harry Belafonte who lived near the branch. Another branch of the Library, the Schomburg Center holds Belafonte's archives.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "About the Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library". The New York Public Library. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ Framberger, David J.; Olshansky, Joan R.; Spencer-Ralph, Elizabeth (December 1979). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP New York Public Library, 115th Street Branch. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 13, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
  4. ↑ Bennis, Phyllis (November 1, 2017). "Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Activist Harry Belafonte Goes to the Library". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Boyd, Herb (May 11, 2017). "Library renamed the Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  6. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (March 13, 2020). "Six Decades After the Banana Boat, Harry Belafonte's Archive Sails Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2022.