{"id":50472,"date":"2025-11-24T16:41:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T16:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/50472\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T16:41:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T16:41:07","slug":"bernheimer-architecture-designs-public-library-topped-with-housing-in-the-bronx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/50472\/","title":{"rendered":"Bernheimer Architecture designs public library topped with housing in the Bronx"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD<\/a>) and New York Public Library (NYPL<\/a>) officials are making good on their promise to add affordable housing<\/a> atop public libraries<\/a> sited on city-owned land.<\/p>\n

The new NYPL Inwood branch debuted last year<\/a> and has 174 affordable units, thanks to Fogarty Finger and Andrew Berman Architect. Similar pursuits<\/a> are underway in Boston by MASS Design Group.<\/p>\n

Bernheimer Architecture and LEVENBETTS<\/a>\u00a0are partnering with HPD, NYPL, Settlement Housing Fund (SHF), and Kalel Companies to deliver 113 affordable units above another public library, this time on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx<\/a>. The affordable homes will be perched above a new 17,500-square-foot library for the community.<\/p>\n

\"renderingAt least 15 percent of the new 113 affordable homes at 155 East 173rd Street will be reserved for formerly homeless families and individuals. (Courtesy Bernheimer Architecture)<\/p>\n

At least 15 percent of the new homes at 155 East 173rd Street will be reserved for formerly homeless families and individuals. There will also be a cooling center to service community members in the hot months.<\/p>\n

Renderings show a handsome brick tower with setbacks. Intricate masonry detailing creates portals into the library washed in natural light thanks to generous glazing. On the library\u2019s third floor, a domed space punctured by an oculus will provide an ideal locale for cozying up with a book.<\/p>\n

Timber surfaces will line the double-height reading area. Hanging pendant lights will draw eyes upward to a speckled ceiling, adding visual wonder to the civic space. Books will front the main reading room in a circular fashion.<\/p>\n

\"renderingThe double-height main reading area will be washed in natural light. (Courtesy Bernheimer Architecture)<\/p>\n

The development team pledged to preserve a historic sculpture by Lorrie Goulet on the existing Grand Concourse NYPL facade, HPD officials shared<\/a> this week. The new state-of-the-art library will have a double-height adult reading space, updated technology, multipurpose meeting rooms, and study areas.<\/p>\n

Judy Herbstman, SHF president, said the building designed by Bernheimer Architecture and Levenbetts Architects will meet Passive House standards and provide \u201chigh-quality housing for low-income and formerly homeless New Yorkers and a supportive environment where they can flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SectionSection drawing cut through the proposed public library (Courtesy Bernheimer Architecture)<\/p>\n

Bernheimer Architecture has deep experience meeting Passive House standards, and working in the Bronx. River Commons<\/a> is another project by the firm on the Grand Concourse nearing completion.<\/p>\n

River Commons employs a high-performance thermal envelope, energy-efficient systems, and on-site renewable energy thanks to geothermal and photovoltaic systems.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, the development team will seek necessary permits and public approval for the project at 155 East 173rd Street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York Public Library (NYPL) officials are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50473,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-50472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}