QPL, City Kick Off $17.6 Million Renovation and Expansion of Baisley Park Library in Southeast Queens

QPL, City Kick Off $17.6 Million Renovation and Expansion of Baisley Park Library in Southeast Queens

First DDC capital project to proceed under new Community Hiring goals

Featuring 'Percent for Art' installation by Ghanaian Artist Serge Attukwei Clottey

QPL: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, 917-702-0016, [email protected]: Ian Michaels, 646-939-6514, [email protected]

(Jamaica, NY - September 29, 2025) Queens Public Library (QPL) President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott and Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) today joined QPL staff and local elected officials to break ground on a $17.6 million project that will renovate and expand Baisley Park Library at 117-11 Sutphin Boulevard in Jamaica. The project, which is expected to be completed by fall 2028, is being managed by DDC for QPL.

"Baisley Park Library has long been a cornerstone of this neighborhood, and this renovation will ensure it continues to meet the evolving needs of the community," said Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. "We are deeply grateful to the offices of Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., Mayor Eric Adams, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and Assembly Member Vivian Cook for securing the funds to help us develop a modern, inspiring library where people can learn, connect and grow for generations to come. We are also thrilled that this project is among the City's first to advance under its new community hiring initiative, transforming the building while providing jobs to local residents."

"Baisley Park Library is an essential community resource not just for learning but also for gathering and for vital Queens Public Library programming," said DDC Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle. "This capital project will expand the library's useful space while fully renovating the existing interior and providing better accessibility in compliance with the ADA. It's also DDC's first capital project to proceed under the City Charter's new community hiring goals, and we look forward to hiring local workers and apprentices with the goal of having them receive 30 percent of the project's overall construction hours."

The project will fully renovate the building's interior and add ADA compliant restrooms. A redesigned layout will provide dedicated areas for children, teens, and adults, each with computer stations to support digital access and learning. The circular courtyard will be enclosed and transformed into a light-filled children's area. The multi-purpose room will be upgraded with new audiovisual technology to strengthen community programming. The library's entrance will move from Sutphin Boulevard to Foch Boulevard, featuring a new vestibule, walkway, and plantings. Other improvements include new staff offices, a pantry, and a dedicated custodian room.

The project will also provide new electrical and plumbing service plus a new fire alarm system connected to QPL's central monitoring system. New ductwork will connect existing HVAC and boiler systems to the redesigned first floor. A partial green roof and solar panels are expected to help the building meet LEED Silver standards for environmental sustainability.

The design of the project was completed by the firm LevenBetts under DDC's Design and Construction Excellence Program, which pre-qualifies design firms for public buildings projects, reducing the time required to procure design services while ensuring the highest levels of quality and professionalism in construction projects managed by the agency. LevenBetts previously designed the renovation of East Flatbush Library under the program, which was named a finalist for 2023 Project of the Year by The Architect's Newspaper.

The project is also DDC's first capital construction project to launch under the new Community Hiring requirements, which aim for 30 percent of construction trade labor hours to be completed by NYCHA residents or individuals who live in low-income communities.

The project will feature the original artwork WHO KNOWS TOMORROW by Ghanaian Artist Serge Attukwei Clottey as part of the City's 'Percent for Art' program, utilizing 'tapestry' made from woven Kufuor gallons and copper wire. Clottey refers to this body of work as "Afrogallonism", a concept that confronts the question of material culture through the utilization of yellow gallon containers used to transport cooking oil to Africa and frequently reused as water transport and storage.

Mockups of the installation were crafted by local community members at a Community Art Workshop held August 14th at the library in conjunction with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA).

"Libraries are the portal to the world for our neighborhoods, and the transformation of the Baisley Park Library will ensure that families in Southeast Queens have a welcoming, sustainable, and inspiring place to learn, connect, and grow for decades to come," said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Workforce and Economic Development Adolfo Carrión. "This project reflects the Adams administration's commitment to world-class design and accessibility and also to community hiring and public art, ensuring that the benefits of this investment are felt well beyond the library's walls."

"Our neighborhood library branches are the cornerstones of our communities, serving New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds," said NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. "Thanks to the Council's nearly $5 million investment, the Baisley Park Library will be transformed and expanded into a state-of-the-art facility with new features and amenities. This is the type of transformative project our community has always deserved, and I'm excited that we're delivering for the residents of our district. I thank Queens Public Library, the Department of Design and Construction, and all our partners in government for their support of this project."

"For generations, Southeast Queens families have been disadvantaged and disinvested in when it comes to our public infrastructure. But today's groundbreaking on what will be a state-of-the-art, reimagined Baisley Park Library is further proof that we have flipped that narrative on its head in recent years," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "Our neighbors deserve high-quality community spaces to learn and grown, and that's exactly what this renovated library will represent once it reopens. The Queens Borough President's Office is proud to have allocated millions of dollars in funding toward this project, and I can't wait to see our families take advantage of this library for years to come."

"Across the city, we're committed to creating permanent, site-specific public artworks that enhance the essential role libraries play as spaces of creativity and community connection," said Sergio Pardo-Lopez, Director, Percent for Art program, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. "We're proud to be working with DDC and QPL to commission Serge Attukwei Clottey's WHO KNOWS TOMORROW for the Baisley Park Library. This extraordinary project will transform the library space through a vibrant, visually arresting installation that explores our relationship to mundane materials which are nonetheless critical to how we live and move through the world. It can be read much like the texts and materials our libraries offer, and will similarly reward repeat visits and deep consideration."

"This $17.6 million Baisley Park Library renovation and expansion reflects the City's commitment to making sure its investments directly benefit the local communities and jobseekers," said The Office of Talent and Workforce Development Executive Director Doug Lipari. "Today's announcement is the first City capital construction project to leverage the power of Community Hiring Goals and represents a critical milestone in the City's overall strategy led by NYC Talent to strengthen the City's workforce, uplift communities, and drive more inclusive economic growth."

While the building is closed for construction, Queens Public Library will provide Mobile Library service at the location on Mondays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Other nearby QPL locations include Central Library (89-11 Merrick Boulevard); South Jamaica (108-41 Guy Brewer Boulevard); and South Ozone Park (128-16 Rockaway Boulevard).

About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology center located at the Queensbridge Houses, the nation's largest public housing complex, and a community learning center at another public housing complex, the Ravenswood Houses. It also has five teen centers, two bookmobiles, and two book bicycles.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City's primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams' long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $34 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.