NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

96th Street Branch—New York Public Library

Manhattan

Mon - Thurs: 10 am-7 pm
Fri & Sat: 10 am-5 pm

Bridging the neighborhoods of Yorkville and East Harlem, the 96th Street Branch has been a vital center of information, learning, and recreation to a diverse community since it opened in September 1905. One of the 65 libraries built with funds donated to New York City by Andrew Carnegie, the library was designed by the noted architectural firm of Babb, Cook and Willard. Both beautiful and functional, the interior is distinguished by tall arched windows, lofty ceilings, wide staircases, and dark oak bookshelves. A renovation in 1991 considerably expanded the space available to the public and modernized the building, while retaining its original architectural beauty. The branch contains an adult reading room, a children's room with a separate space for story hours, an expanded reference center, a conference room, and an auditorium with a seating capacity of 50.

For more information on the branch, click here.

Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium

Manhattan

The Abigail Adams Smith Auditorium is a performance space that's part of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum complex.

Allerton Branch—New York Public Library

Bronx

Mon, Tues & Thurs: 11 am-6 pm
Wed: 11 am-7 pm
Fri & Sat: 10 am-5 pm

The Allerton Branch of the New York Public Library, which opened in January 1960, was designed by the architectural firm of Hertz and Salerni in conjunction with the New York City Department of Public Works. Fully accessible to persons using wheelchairs, the two-floor brick limestone building houses a medium-sized library of 10,000 square feet. The adult, reference and young adult areas are on the first floor while the children's collection and a separate story-hour room are on the second. There is a 74-seat auditorium in the basement.



For more information on the branch, click here.

Auditorium Centro Espanol

Queens

Flamenco performances take place here.

BAM Gilman Opera House

Brooklyn

This is the main venue of Brooklyn Academy of Music and hosts dance, theater and music events, including avant garde productions of modern operas.