Yorkville Library

The story

The first Carnegie library in Manhattan opened here in December 1902, tucked into the middle of a block on East 79th Street rather than commanding a corner. James Brown Lord designed the building in the Italian Renaissance style, its three-story limestone facade earning it a reputation as one of New York's most elegant adaptations of the Palladian style to a modern public building. Andrew Carnegie's funds made it possible. Renovated twice since, it remains a working branch of the New York Public Library, a landmark both officially designated and genuinely earned.