2. 96th Street Library, Manhattan

The 112-114 East 96th Street library was built in 1905 by the architectural firm Babb, Cook & Willard, to bridge the neighborhoods of Yorkville and East Harlem. In 1960, Bioch & Hesse undertook a significant renovation of the building, and in 1991, the 13,000 square foot interior was restored, replicating the original period color palette. An additional eight-month renovation in 2013 dealt with heating, cooling and boiler issues. The three-story library has a 13,000 square foot interior, with added amenities like a wheelchair accessible elevator and a room for films, with not only high-definition projectors and surround sound, but also 16 mm film projectors used for children’s film programs, and to show them what an old reel-to-reel projector looks like. The building is not landmarked.