Behind-the-Scenes Video: Inside the Milstein Research Stacks

Get a look inside the two-level, subterranean, state-of-the-art preservation environment. Thanks to this space, the Library is able to preserve and safely store more books on site at the Schwarzman Building than ever before.

Fast Facts About the Milstein Stacks

Did you know? 

  • The Milstein Research Stacks allow the Library to safely preserve and store more than 4 million books and archival materials on site—more than ever before in the Library’s history.
  • Construction for the Library’s two-level, underground storage facility began in the 1980s, during the renovation of Bryant Park.
  • The first level became operational in 1991.
  • The second of the two levels measures 55,700 square feet and was completed in 2016, thanks to the generous support of Abby S. Milstein—who currently serves as the Library's Chair of the Board of Trustees—and Howard P. Milstein.
  • An electric conveyor system, affectionately called the book train, carries requested research items from underground to library staff throughout the building, all the way up to the Rose Main Reading Room on the top floor.
A library staff member operates the shelving in the Milstein Stacks.

Our Collections Run Deep

Take a look into the Library's past and the construction of the Milstein Research Stacks. These images appeared as part of the Library’s exhibition Preserving a Masterpiece: From Soaring Ceilings to Subterranean Storage, held at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in 2016.

Exterior of The New York Public Library as seen from Bryant Park.

The New York Public Library from Bryant Park, 2013

In the 1980s, the Library built a two-level storage facility for books beneath the lawn of Bryant Park, and in 1991, began storing over a million books and materials in the upper level. In 2016, to provide an improved preservation environment for its world-renowned research collections, the Library built out the second, lower level of this facility, thanks to a generous gift from Library Trustee Abby S. Milstein and her husband Howard P. Milstein.
Aerial view of Bryant Park as seen from Sixth Avenue, with the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in the background.

Bryant Park, east from Sixth Avenue, 1935

Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy

Bryant Park’s great lawn and many of its other features were part of a redesign led by urban planner Robert Moses in the 1930s. Situated behind the Library, the new and inviting public space naturally attracted readers. During the Great Depression, the Library even hosted outdoor reading rooms in the park—an early example of the ongoing relationship between the park and the Library.
Black and white photo of people reading in Bryant Park.

The New York Public Library’s Outdoor Reading Room in Bryant Park, ca. 1930s

Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy

Black and white photo of people reading in Bryant Park, with the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in the background.

Readers in Bryant Park, 1935

Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy

Bryant Park fountain with the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in the background.

Fountain in Bryant Park, 1981

Bryant Park Corporation

Wooden fencing at Bryant Park entrance with a sign reading "Entrance Temporarily Closed."

Dilapidated entrance to Bryant Park, 1981

Bryant Park Corporation

By the 1970s, when New York City was in the midst of financial turmoil, Bryant Park fell into severe disrepair. In 1980, the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation was founded by prominent New Yorkers—including Trustees of the Library—which paved the way for the park’s revival. These photographs were taken just before the park’s renovation, which included the creation of the storage space below that would house the Library’s collections.
Graffiti on a stone building in Bryant Park.

Graffiti on power house in Bryant Park, 1981

Bryant Park Corporation

Long description:

Construction of the Library’s two-level underground storage facility began in July 1988. The ground was excavated 30 feet deep for the new 120,000-square-foot storage space. There was only funding available to fully build out the top level with compact movable shelving, conveyor systems, and necessary preservation technology. The first level opened in 1991.

Excavation of Bryant Park, 1988

Bryant Park Corporation

Construction of the Library’s two-level underground storage facility began in July 1988. The ground was excavated 30 feet deep for the new 120,000-square-foot storage space. There was only funding available to fully build out the top level with compact movable shelving, conveyor systems, and necessary preservation technology. The first level opened in 1991.
Long description:

This cross-section rendering shows the Library’s stack extension beneath the great lawn of Bryant Park. The storage space includes conveyor systems, climate control and fire suppression systems, and compact movable shelving.

Cross-section rendering of NYPL’s underground stack extension

Bryant Park Corporation

Construction of the stacks under ground level in Bryant Park.

Construction of NYPL’s underground stack extension, ca. 1988

Bryant Park Corporation

Shelves partially assembled in the stacks.

Building the lower level of the Milstein Research Stacks, 2012

In spring 2015, the Library began work on renovating the second, lower level of the underground storage facility, transforming 55,700 square feet of raw space into state-of-the-art storage with capacity for an additional 2.5 million research materials. The space was renamed the Milstein Research Stacks in honor of Library Trustee Abby S. Milstein and her husband Howard P. Milstein, whose generous donation made the expansion possible.
Machinery of the stacks during construction and assembly.

Building the lower level of the Milstein Research Stacks, 2015

A worker cuts metal with a power tool in the stacks during construction.

Building the lower level of the Milstein Research Stacks, 2015

Finished shelving installed in the stacks.

Building the lower level of the Milstein Research Stacks, 2015

Interior of the Milstein Research Stacks shows an aisle of colorful books.

Milstein Research Stacks, level one, 2012

Now completed, the renovated second level has joined the first level in serving scholars with efficient on-site access to the Library’s comprehensive research collections. The first level, pictured here, opened in 1991.
Bryant Park lawn full of people on a summer day.

Bryant Park lawn, 2013

Bryant Park Corporation

Today, it may come as a surprise to the many visitors who fill the park each day, six feet below the great lawn reside the Library’s vast collections.

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    Hand holding a phone with the audio tour in the white marble Astor Hall