Architectural Design Fact Sheet

The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division
The New York Public Library

The restoration of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division is one of the Library's most significant architectural renewal projects since the renovation and reopening of the Deborah, Jonathan F.P., Samuel Priest, and Adam Raphael Rose Main Reading Room in 1998. Designed by Davis Brody Bond, LLP, the project artfully restores the Map Division to its original Beaux-Arts grandeur and incorporates innovative design enhancements that improve user functionality, increase storage capacity of the Library's extensive map holdings, and provide major infrastructure to accommodate the Division's state-of-the-art map-based information technology.

Located on the north end of the first floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, the Map Division encompasses 7,000 square feet and comprises Room 117, a public reading room with spacious tables for map-viewing, and Room 115, a stack area and staff work center. These two architecturally important rooms, designed by John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings, had not been restored since the Library's landmark building opened in 1911. The Map Division forms an elegant mirror image to the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Division located at the south end of the Library's first floor.

Architectural Restoration
The 9-month renovation restored the Map Division's distinctive architectural features including carved woodwork, ceiling ornamentation, and stone and metal finishes. A focal point of this project was the restoration of the ornate 20-foot plaster ceiling in Room 117. The large oval at the center of the ceiling, finished in copper leaf, is flanked on all sides by molded ornaments such as recessed domes, cherubs, demons, foliate designs, seashells, and garlands. Spectral analysis was conducted to determine the ceiling's original paint colors and finishes, which include vermilion and green, as well as Dutch metal, an applied finish that was used as a less expensive substitute for gold leaf when the Division was first opened in 1911. The black walnut wall trim was thoroughly cleaned, stripped, and stained. Bookcases, tables, chairs, and doorways were stripped and refinished. The Division's stately bronze arched windows were re-glazed, cleaned, and repaired. Blackout paint on the windows that had been installed during World War II was removed. The cleaning process revealed a spectacularly carved wood garland with lion head medallions throughout the Reading Room's perimeter.

The three original walnut tables designed by Carrère and Hastings were restored and re-fitted with power outlets and wiring for Internet connections. The Division's unique 1-3/16" red quarry floor tiles, originally imported from Wales, were removed and cleaned, and new data cables and electrical wiring were laid below. The floor tiles were then re-installed in their distinctive diagonal pattern.

Improved Map Storage System
The Map Division now features a new compact shelving system that increases storage capacity three-fold to over 900 drawers and also incorporates a separate area for the special storage needs of rare materials. Map drawers and oversize shelving allow for easy retrieval of materials by Library staff. Re-supporting of an original ornamental bronze balcony and removal of columns in Room 115 allowed for installation of compact storage on the lower level, while retaining the quality and elegance of Carèrre and Hastings' double-height work area. The upper level was reconfigured to accommodate staff as well as cabinets for oversized map and atlas storage. The installation of a new materials lift facilitates the transport of oversize maps and atlases to and from the upper level balcony.

Lighting Improvements
Table lamps that impeded users from adequately opening maps were removed to provide open tabletop space. New recessed lighting was installed in the ceiling to provide the illumination required for optimal map reading. Uplights were installed to highlight the exquisite ornamentation and coloring of the Reading Room's Beaux-Arts plaster ceiling. The four original Carrère and Hastings-designed chandeliers in Room 117 were expertly restored, and an additional row of lights was added. In Room 115, five new double-tier bronze chandeliers were installed that replicate the room's original chandelier design.

Room Reconfiguration
The seating capacity of the Map Division's Reading Room was increased by 50 percent, from 16 to 24 users. A new American with Disabilities Act-compliant reference desk was crafted in the style of the building's existing Carrère and Hastings-designed reference desks and situated near the entrance to the Division. A new opening was created between Room 115 and 117 that connects the reference desk with the stack area and makes the retrieval of materials by staff members easier. New permanent exhibition space was created, allowing the Map Division to showcase treasures from its collection on an ongoing basis. Oversized digitized antiquarian maps from the collection were hung on the walls.

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The New York Public Library gratefully acknowledges Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal for their generous support of the Map Division.

Congressman James T. Walsh, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Council Speaker A. Gifford Miller, New York City Council Member Christine C. Quinn, and New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane provided critical support for this important renovation.

Contact:    Tim Farrell, Herb Scher      212.704.8600

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