Morningside Heights Branch Library

Branch History

The Morningside Heights Branch of The New York Public Library is located on Broadway at the corner of 113th Street. The present building, opened in 2001, also includes a Columbia University dorm and a retail shop. The building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern architects and incorporates modern technology in a traditional library setting. Formerly known as the Columbia Branch, the library has been serving the Morningside Heights area of Manhattan since 1914 when it opened in Columbia University's Low Library as a recreational collection for students and faculty. When the new Butler Library opened in 1937 it included a room designed for the Columbia Branch. In 1996, the branch moved to a temporary location on 113th Street to accommodate renovations at Butler Library.