I read an article about the completion of the renovation of the Brooklyn Public Library in Gerritsen Beach. Although I am a life-long resident of Brooklyn (NYC) and can point out Gerritsen Beach on a map, I have never stepped foot in the neighborhood, which has its own volunteer fire department owing to its relative isolation and narrow streets.
While I had not been previously aware that Gerritsen Beach has a public library, I [wrote about the renovations of the Brooklyn Public Library branch in Carroll Gardens](https…
I read an article about the completion of the renovation of the Brooklyn Public Library in Gerritsen Beach. Although I am a life-long resident of Brooklyn (NYC) and can point out Gerritsen Beach on a map, I have never stepped foot in the neighborhood, which has its own volunteer fire department owing to its relative isolation and narrow streets.
While I had not been previously aware that Gerritsen Beach has a public library, I wrote about the renovations of the Brooklyn Public Library branch in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, back in January 2024. According to my reporting (*i.e., *photographing the relevant signage outside the library), the renovations were projected to be complete within 18-24 months of July 23, 2023. We blew through the outer-limit of that projection nearly five months ago. I have noted on my walks that the Library is still closed, but I did not look into the reasoning. Fortunately, a syndicated copy of the report about the Gerritsen Beach library on Brownstoner included an update about the Carroll Gardens library in the related posts (plus-one for related post links). According to the May 27, 2025 report in Brownstoner:
Additional funding allocated by state Senator Andrew Gounardes last fall ensured all the required work would be done at once, and officials said the library would be finished in summer 2025. But crews from the city’s Department of Design and Construction recently determined that the building would need additional structural enforcements to support the weight of new high-energy HVAC units.
My original report noted that one goal of the renovation was to install a new HVAC system in the library. The new HVAC system proved to be more burdensome than originally expected. The report continues:
Now, according to BPL, DDC plans to wrap up in November 2025, at which point BPL will take over for some additional sprucing up — pushing the reopening date to summer 2026.
As I noted, I can confirm that the permanent Carroll Gardens Library (there is a temporary library in neighboring Cobble Hill) has not yet re-opened. We will see if the new summer 2026 estimate turns out to be accurate.