New York Construction Report staff writer
Construction has begun on a new Douglaston-Little Neck Library in Queens, replacing the existing branch with a larger, three-level facility designed to expand library services and community space.
Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott and New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Paul Ochoa joined local elected officials and community members for a groundbreaking ceremony at the existing library site at 249-01 Northern Blvd.
The general contractor is Universal Construction Resources.
The $40.2 million project is being managed by DDC on behalf of Queens Public Library and includes demolition of the existing branch and construction of a new 12,000-square-foot facility. The new library is expected to reopen in summer 2030.
The existing library opened in 1962. The replacement will provide about twice the public space, with dedicated areas for adults, teens and children, as well as expanded spaces for educational programming and community events.
Designed by BKSK Architects through DDC’s Design and Construction Excellence Program, the project received the New York City Public Design Commission’s Award for Excellence in Public Design in 2024.
“This new library will double the amount of public space, with expanded indoor and outdoor areas for learning and gathering, state-of-the-art amenities, and sustainable features,” Walcott said.
The lower level will include a dedicated teen area and two meeting rooms. The ground floor will house adult collections and staff workspaces, while the second floor will feature a children’s reading room and an outdoor terrace with a garden designed to attract migrating hummingbirds.
The building’s entrance will be relocated from Northern Boulevard to 249th Street. An outdoor garden with landscaped seating will line 249th Street, while a children’s garden will be incorporated into the sloping green roof on the second floor.
Large ground-floor transom windows facing Northern Boulevard will provide natural light throughout the building. Two staircases and an elevator will connect the three levels.
The project also incorporates a range of sustainability measures, including a green roof, rooftop solar panels, an all-electric mechanical system, high-performance insulation and enhanced air filtration.
The design also incorporates daylighting intended to maximize natural light while reducing glare. The building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.
“We are proud to deliver a brand-new, visually stunning library that will double the public space of the Douglaston/Little Neck branch,” Ochoa said. “We are thrilled to start construction for this striking, three-level library.”
The library will have 24 public computers and a collection of about 26,000 books, periodicals and other materials in multiple languages.
The project also includes a public art installation commissioned through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs’ Percent for Art program.
Artist Misha Kahn’s “A Bit of Everything” will feature unique forms suspended within a stainless-steel framework. The artwork draws on elements of the Douglaston-Little Neck community, including dumpling-shaped forms referencing the area’s Asian communities, boulder figures inspired by the Matinecock tribe and train track motifs reflecting the Long Island Rail Road.
The project is funded through capital investments from the Office of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Council Member Vickie Paladino, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. and New York state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky.
