MASS Design Group and Marble Fairbanks Architects Share The Designs for the Brooklyn Public Library New Lots Branch, Honoring the Community’s African Burial Ground History
The new library in East New York’s community provides an opportunity to reshape and expand the branch for patrons now and in future generations, with an emphasis on design that fosters dialogue, solidarity, shared memory, and a commitment to reconciliation and restorative justice
NEW YORK, NY, Dec. 7, 2024 – MASS Design Group (MASS) and Marble Fairbanks Architects shared their designs for the New Lots Branch Library, in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library, with the East New York community in Brooklyn, New York. The new 25,000 sq. ft. library, designed by MASS and Marble Fairbanks Architects, will address the community’s desire to recognize the historic African burial ground on which the existing library was built. The modern new building center will celebrate the heritage and culture of the community, and provide essential library and education services. The library will include reading and music rooms, learning and exhibition spaces, an auditorium, and outdoor viewing and gathering spaces.
The design of the branch, plaza, and landscape will continue the long-term community work for reconciliation, which includes the 2013 renaming of the block as African Burial Ground Square and the 2019-2022 redesign of the soon-to-be re-opened Sankofa Park.
The library and plaza aim to create a space for dialogue and truth telling, a shared sense of memory, and to commit to reconciliation and restorative justice for the East New York community. The library will be an anchor of social infrastructure in the community, underscoring the importance of community connections, digital inclusion, and a culture of anti-racism and anti-bias in all Brooklyn library locations and neighborhoods.
“The plans unveiled today represent a new chapter for not only New Lots Library, but all of East New York. The library will serve as a community space for remembrance and reconciliation, and, of course, provide the neighborhood with books that inspire compassion and curiosity,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library. “Thank you to MASS Design, Marble Fairbanks and the hundreds of East New Yorkers who helped to inform these extraordinary designs.”
The building is expected to be completed by 2028.
Listening to the Community
Community engagement underscored the aspiration for the library to embody both celebration and healing. The combined design team of MASS and Marble Fairbanks participated in community engagement activities through community meetings from 2022-2023 to inform the design. The journey from acknowledging historical trauma to embracing Black Joy was crafted through meaningful dialogues with the community and resulted in the formation of six ways to engage visitors throughout the building and park:
- Acknowledgment
- Empowerment
- Reflection
- Invitation
- Liberation
- Celebration
In order to determine the mission and vision of the library branch, MASS developed a six-minute film to share with local partners and the community. Feedback to the video reaffirmed the desire for the space to act as a welcoming place and safe sanctuary. MASS and Marble Fairbanks were engaged to conduct feasibility studies to redevelop the site and surrounding environment as a continued hub of community organization.
A Library on Cemetery: Acknowledging History
Located on 665 New Lots Avenue at Barbey Street in Brooklyn, original land of the Rockaway Indians, or the Native American Canarsie Tribe, the predecessor to New Lots Library was a community library organized in 1942 by the Women’s Club of East New York. The branch became part of Brooklyn Public Library in 1949, opening in a storefront on New Lots Avenue. In 1957, New Lots Library moved to its new location on what was a pre-Emancipation and Revolutionary War burial ground containing the remains of slaves and Dutch colonial enslavers.
The Revolutionary War was fought as far north as Brooklyn, with a battle along the East River, called the Battle of Brooklyn. The remains of the White residents were moved to another cemetery, but the bodies of the Blacks buried there were left onsite and the library facilities were developed on top of their remains.
As time passed, the racially diverse community, aware of this story, advocated for an acknowledgment of the individuals left behind, including their contributions to the founding of our country. The Brooklyn Public Library responded by issuing a request for proposal for partners that could help with the site visioning and selected MASS and Marble Fairbanks.
“It’s our job as designers to incorporate history into the future of place and try to acknowledge and heal the past, creating a new and shared future that benefits the community,” said Jonathan Evans, MASS Principal and project lead. “Growing up in New York, I saw architecture’s potential, and its complicity, in controlling the narrative and priorities of those in power. Being able to deliver change through the reformation of New Lots Library is a clear demonstration of change to honestly reflect history and celebrate the people and community the library serves.”
“Public libraries are some of the most trusted places in our city, and each branch library has an opportunity to be responsive to the unique needs of their community. The Brooklyn Public Library continues to demonstrate their commitment to their communities, supporting designs that offer transformative visions for their libraries,” said Karen Fairbanks, Marble Fairbanks founding partner. “Here at the New Lots Library, we hope this project expands that trust by acknowledging past wrongs and offering spaces inside and out that empower the East New York community to grow, to make, to learn, to advocate and to continue their journey.”
Designed for Community Gathering and Unification
In many African communities, the space of collective gathering is called the palaver. Often under a tree, the palaver created a community space for dialogue and truth telling, opportunities for solidarity and a shared sense of memory, and to commit to reconciliation and restorative justice in the wake of conflict. The mission of the library is to become a palaver for East New York—a place where whole-stories can be shared. The palaver will be visible throughout the branch’s reading and collection rooms, gathering and educational spaces to encourage children and teens to create community, as the first generation who will live in a space that acknowledges the neighborhood's history. Designed using mass timber, the palaver will be formed using branch-like radial beams, providing the warmth and character to encourage everything from learning to reconciliation.
The New Lots Library is one of seven projects in the inaugural cohort of the NYC Mass Timber Studio, an initiative by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to promote decarbonization in the built environment by supporting early-stage mass timber projects. A pioneering example of mass timber utilization in New York City, the New Lots Library embraces this renewable resource, serving as a model for future public buildings.
The Library as Living Memorial - Lifting a Veil
By making the library a memorial, New Lots becomes a working place used daily by the community honoring public living memory. The facade design of a veil on the building exterior was inspired by the monument, “Lifting the Veil,” by Sanford Biggers, part of the "re:mancipation" project (2023). The process of discovery and awakening will be depicted by the lifting of a veil, reflecting the transformation of place at the New Lots Library and Sankofa Park, from that of hidden and desecrated burial grounds, to one that serves as a cultural education center and space for community activism, celebration and truth telling, revealing the vibrant activity of the library. Bronze legacy markers are woven into the veil, creating a tapestry of colors that reflect the community's diversity and history. The legacy markers will be inscribed with the important history of the site and frame views to the Remembrance Plaza and East New York beyond.
As visitors enter the library, the veil’s woven screen will be integrated into the building’s architecture, morphed into structural elements, walls, and pathways, transforming the experience at every step. Balconies on the third floor will frame outdoor views of the plaza through the veil. Visitors will encounter legacy markers with inscriptions that provide inspirational quotes or words of reflection. These markers will be designed to guide visitors on their journey.
Connection to the Community, Sankofa Park and African Burial Ground
A plaza will unify the burial ground across the sites of the library and Sankofa Park, providing the recognition and reverence the space and the remains deserve. This approach was refined by Elizabeth Kennedy Architects and Jordan Weber, who unified the burial ground through its geometry, aligning it with the park. The burial ground will feature a Remembrance Plaza and a smaller Reflection Circle, oriented to the reinterment marker in Sankofa Park, for quiet contemplation.
Entering the library through the plaza and walking under the facade veil, guests will enter an open space that is home to the African American collections, a bridge between past and present, bringing the community’s history to life. Positioned next to the sacred burial ground, this space, made of glass, emphasizes the connection between the plaza and the burial ground through clear lines of visibility. An open and central staircase will invite visitors to travel up or down to continue their journey in the library.
The stairs down to the lower level will house the music collection and a community forum space, a multipurpose double-height space that is visually connected to the plaza and the ground floor. The easternmost glass wall sits adjacent to the burial ground, offering visibility and a moment for reflection.
In a renewed movement to make libraries civic spaces, the Brooklyn Public Library system is investing in the New Lots library to be a place of inspiration as well as one that supports education, shared experiences, community meetings and social events that bring community together. Sociologist Eric Klinenberg writes in his book, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown), that the key to a more equitable society may lie in our shared spaces, and that includes libraries.
Klinenburg’s book highlights the existing New Lots branch and the vibrant programming that activates the multi-purpose room. The community spaces, including the auditorium, will be the heart of the new library, providing space for performances, talks, meetings, and art classes. Adjacent to the burial ground, the auditorium’s celebratory space will host a range of functions while providing opportunities for reflection, empowerment, and joy. The Adult Learning Center sits atop the branch where adult learners will be supported in building their language and writing skills, the terraces at this level offer views of the plaza and the Brooklyn and Manhattan skylines.
“The libraries attract older adults, young people, teenagers, children, and by nature, it is the normal space that can be used for discussing issues of the community,” said Ana Aguirre, former United Community Centers Executive Director. “You cannot organize and do social activities without also providing educational services. The library can create the space where you learn about what happened in your community but also can be the forum for continued organizing.”
Other partners involved in the project include AKRF; Atelier Ten; Bird Control Advisory; Construction Specifications, Inc.; Cosentini Associates; Elizabeth Kennedy Landscape Architect, PLLC; Envoie Projects; Front, Inc.; Gilbane Building Company; Jordan J. Weber; Longman Lindsey; Milrose Consultants; Nasco Construction Services, Inc.; TYLin; SETTY & Associates; Tillotson Design Associates; WeShouldDoItAll.
About New Lots Library, Brooklyn, New York:
The New Lots Library provides free programs and resources, including a learning center that helps adults develop literacy skills to meet their personal, educational and employment goals. Many of the learning center students at New Lots have crossed oceans and continents to make their homes in Brooklyn, while others have lived in New York City all their lives. The work of residents is celebrated in programs like New Expressions, an annual collection of fiction, memoirs, poetry and essays from beginning adult readers and writers. Staff at New Lots Library take great satisfaction in contributing to an institution that is essential to the life and vitality of the neighborhood it serves.
The branch is across the street from East New York Farms and the East New York Farmers Market. Nearby, New Lots Reformed Church and Cemetery is home to graves that date to the Revolutionary War, and historic Thomas Jefferson High School boasts notable alumni including children’s book author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats, author Daniel Keys, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, former heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe, actor Jimmy Smits, and R&B singer Maxwell.
MASS Design Group
A Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) Design Group was founded in 2008 as a non-profit organization with the mission to research, design, build, and advocate for architecture that promotes justice and human dignity. MASS grew to include many colleagues and contributors who worked together to design and build the Butaro District Hospital in Rwanda, a project of Partners In Health and the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Since then, the organization has grown to a team of 200 architects, landscape architects, engineers, builders, furniture designers, writers, filmmakers, and researchers representing 20 countries across the globe. MASS was awarded the 2022 American Institute of Architect’s Firm of the Year Award, the highest honor bestowed by the institute. MASS operates design-research labs in specialty areas including Abundant Futures; Deaf Space and Disability Justice; Fringe Cities; Public Memory and Memorials; Restorative Justice; and Sustainable Native Communities. MASS is headquartered in Boston and Kigali, Rwanda.
Marble Fairbanks Architects
Marble Fairbanks Architects is an architecture, design and research office located in New York, founded in 1990 by Scott Marble and Karen Fairbanks. The office is committed to highly innovative design through research and analysis of the core issues surrounding each project. Recent work focuses on cultural and institutional projects for public and private clients including U.S. General Services Administration, The National Park Service, all three New York City public library systems, Hunter College, Columbia University, The Museum of Modern Art, The New School, Brown University and New York University. A research-based practice, Marble Fairbanks Architects is at the forefront of discussions concerning digital technology, integrated design processes, and education. The firm is the recipient of numerous local, national, and international design awards. The work of Marble Fairbanks Architects is published regularly in books and journals and has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York where their drawings are part of the museum’s permanent collection.