A swanky new library is set to open in Queens this spring.
The $17.1 million Glen Oaks branch of the Queens Library will be a three-level edifice with a glassy exterior, library officials said.
“It will be the newest and the brightest” in Queens, said Queens Library President Thomas Galante on Thursday. “We have a lot of excited people in the community.”
“The library that used to be there was the one in the borough that needed the most work,” Galante said.
The old branch building at 255-01 Union Turnpike was built in 1956 and torn down in 2010, said library spokeswoman Joanne King.
The new 18,000-square-foot building is nearly double the size, she said.
“It was much too small for the current population of the neighborhood and was very overcrowded,” she said.
It will contain a circulating library, cyber center and communal meeting spaces while being certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) — a mark of its environmental friendliness.
The design by Marble Fairbanks has already garnered a number of accolades. Karen Fairbanks, who co-founded the architectural and design firm, said the firm wanted to bolster the Queens neighborhood.
“We’re excited about bringing an expanded library to engage the neigborhood with more open space and resources,” she said. “We believe it will engage the community in a new way.”
The funding was raised by Mayor Bloomberg and City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens).
“It’s not like any other library I’ve ever seen,” said Weprin. “It’s going to be a tremendous benefit to the area. It has many other aspects than just books.”
Additional features include a sky-lit reading lounge, an outdoor space and a 24/7 exterior self-service check-in so customers can return borrowed materials at any time.
Glen Oaks residents said they are anxiously awaiting the opening.
“It’s a beautiful building,” said Bob Friedrich, president of the Glen Oaks Village co-op. “This is the complete opposite of what it used to be. It’s big, open, airy. It will be a tremendous asset to the community and we’re looking forward to it.”
hkaroliszyn@nydailynews.com
