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Countee Cullen Branch Information

Branch History

The Countee Cullen Branch opened on January 14, 1905, as the 135th Street Branch, in a building designed by McKim, Mead and White with funds given by Andrew Carnegie. (The original building is now part of The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.) In 1941, having outgrown its quarters, the library moved to a new building at its present location designed by Louis Allen Abramson. Ten years later the library was renamed for poet and teacher Countee Cullen (1903-1946), an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance and the library's friend and neighbor. The library occupies the former site of the mansion of A'lelia Walker, daughter of the beauty products tycoon whose home became a gathering place for artists and writers during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. The library was renovated in 1990 and is wheelchair accessible.

Collections & Services

James Weldon Johnson Reference Collection for children, located in the second floor story hour room: books on the African-American experience
Reference collection, including college catalogs and financial aid information
African-American/Black Culture reference collection
Ethnic Newswatch, a CD-ROM index of nationwide ethnic newspapers
General reference collection
General collection of fiction and non-fiction, including best-sellers and African/Black culture materials
Large-print collection
Media collection: audiocassettes and CDs, book cassettes for children; videos of current and vintage films
Assistive Technology:
- Closed-Circuit Television Enlarger (CCTV) - enlarges printed material 45-60 times
- Personal Reading Machine - scans printed text and reads aloud in synthetic speech
- Computer screen magnification software
Community Information collection
Personal computers and software for free public use by appointment
Internet access for free public use by appointment

Programs

Class visits by appointment
Art gallery for exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, photographs, and other work by local artists
Puppet shows, films, video programs, story hours, crafts workshops for children, toddler programs, reading clubs, parent workshops
Panel discussions, films, book discussions, internet workshops, dance programs, workshops, poetry readings, plays and dramatic readings, concerts for adults and teenagers

Other Neighborhood Branches

Area Branches	Library Centers
115th Street Harlem Macomb's Bridge	Donnell Library Center Mid-Manhattan Library

Community Information

Basic community services are listed below. For other local agencies, see The New York Public Library's Directory of Community Services.

Community Board
Community Board # 10		1990 and 2000 Demographic Statistics
Elected Officials - Local
NYC Council District # 9	NYS Assembly District # 70	NYS Senate District # 30	U.S. Congress District # 15
Fire and Police Departments
Fire: Engine 59, Ladder 30 111West 133rd Street 10037 Engine 69, Ladder 28 248 West 143rd Street 10030		Police: 32nd Precinct 250 West 135th Street 10035 212-690-6345
Local Hospitals: Harlem Hospital 506 Lenox Avenue 10027 212-939-1000
Parks and Playgrounds: Col. Charles Young Playground West 143rd-145th Streets, Lenox Avenue, Harlem River Drive 10037 Reader's Digest Playground West 139th-140th Streets, Lenox Avenue 10030 PS 194 Playground Seventh-Eighth Avenues, West 143rd-144th Streets 10030		William McCray Playground West 138th Street, Lenox and Fifth Avenues 10037 PS 197 Playground West 135th-136th Streets, Lenox and Fifth Avenues 10037
Post Office: Lincolnton Station 2266 Fifth Avenue 10037 212-281-9781		College Station 217 West 140th Street 10030 212-283-2235
Schools: Public (Community School Board Districts list)
Elementary Schools: PS 92 - Mary McLeod Bethune School (K-6) 222 West 134th Street 10030 212-690-5915 Region 10, District 5		PS 123 - Mahalia Jackson School (K-6) 301 West 140th Street 10030 212-690-5925 Region 10, District 5
PS 133 - Fred R. Moore School (K-6) 2121 Fifth Avenue 10030 212-690-5936 Region 10, District 5		PS 175 - Henry H. Garnet School (K-5) 175 West 134th Street 10030 212-283-0426 Region 10, District 5
PS 194 - Countee Cullen School (K-6) 242 West 144th Street 10030 212-690-5954 Region 10, District 5		PS 197 - John B. Russwurm School (K-6) 2230 Fifth Avenue 10037 212-690-5960 Region 10, District 5
Other Elementary Schools in Region 10, District 5
Intermediate/High Schools: Bread & Roses Integrated High School (8-12) 6 Edgecombe Avenue 10030 212-926-4152		Kappa IV School (6-8) 6 Edgecombe Avenue 10030
The Opportunity Charter School (6-8 currently, 6-12 planned) 222 West 134th Street 10030 212-283-0670		Thurgood Marshall Academy (7-12) 200 West 135th Street 10030 212-283-8055
IS 275 (6-8) 175 West 134th Street 10030 212-283-1903
Other Intermediate Schools in Region 10, District 5
High Schools: Manhattan Theatre Lab 6 Edgecombe Avenue 10030		Mott Hall High School 6 Edgecombe Avenue 10030 212-714-3514
Other High Schools in Region 10, District 5
Comprehensive Schools: Choir Academy of Harlem (4-12) 2005 Madison Avenue 10035 212-289-6227		Harlem Children's Zone / Promise Academy Charter School (K-1 and 6-7 currently, K-12 planned) Lower School: 175 West 134th Street 10030 Main School: 35 East 125th Street 10035 212-534-0700
Other Schools/Programs: Alternative Programs in Manhattan Charter Schools in Manhattan Special Education Programs in Manhattan
Private/Parochial
Elementary/Intermediate Schools: All Saints School (Pre K-8) 52 East 130th Street 10037 212-534-0558		The Children's Storefront School (Pre K-8) 70 East 129th Street 10035 212-427-7900
St. Aloysius School (Pre K-8) 223 West 132nd Street 10027 212-283-0921		St. Charles Borromeo School (K-8) 214 West 142nd Street 10030 212-368-6666
St. Mark the Evangelist School (Pre K-8) 55 West 138th Street 10037 212-283-4848
Jewish Schools in Manhattan (Lookstein Center for Jewish Education in the Diaspora) Parochial Schools in Manhattan (Archdiocese of New York) Private Schools in Manhattan (Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York)