8. Fort Washington Library (1914)

The Fort Washington Library is located at 535 West 179th Street and is open to all visitors and scholars.
The Fort Washington Library is located at 535 West 179th Street and is open to all visitors and scholars.

The Fort Washington Library, which is a branch of the New York Public Library, opened on April 14, 1914, two blocks east of the George Washington Bridge. Similar to other branches of the New York Public Library, the Fort Washington Library benefited from donations from Andrew Carnegie. Authors such as Edwin Newman and Henry Kissinger discussed the impact of the Fort Washington Library on their teenage years and reading and writing practices.

Unique to the Fort Washington Library are extensive collections in languages such as Russian and Spanish. Similar to The Ottendorfer Library, the Fort Washington Library provides English classes for non-English speakers. A full branch renovation of the Fort Washington Library that will address ADA compliance issues, construct an elevator, and attend to other architectural needs is projected to be completed by September 2023.