Weehawken Public Library

The story

A library perched on a precipice above the Lincoln Tunnel Helix began its life as a private home. It became a library in 1942, was extensively renovated and expanded in 1997–1998, and now holds about 43,000 volumes, circulating more than 40,000 items a year. It is also home to the town's historical commission. Since 2000, a culinary fundraiser called A Taste of Weehawken has kept it supported. Few libraries in New Jersey have a more dramatic address, or a more grounded sense of place.