5. 124th Street Library, Manhattan

Library located at 9-11 West 124th Street in Harlem. 

The 9-11 West 124th Street library was built by the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White in 1909. It sits on a residential block overlooking an entrance to Marcus Garvey Park that houses two Little Free Libraries, and is the site of Children’s Reading Circle. It is one of twelve Carnegie libraries designed by this firm, and underwent a series of renovations in the 1930’s, again in the 1950’s, and in 2004 when the interior was entirely refurbished as part of the “Adopt-a-Branch” program. The building is not landmarked.