NYC Arts: The Complete Guide to Art and Culture

Epiphany Branch—New York Public Library

Manhattan

Mon & Wed: 12-7 pm
Tues & Thurs: 10 am-6 pm
Fri & Sat: 10 am-5 pm

The Epiphany Branch of the New York Public Library, once part of the Cathedral Library Association founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, has served the Gramercy Park-Stuyvesant Town area since 1887. The current Epiphany Branch building, an elegant Carnegie Library, opened on September 29, 1907. It was a major neighborhood cultural and educational source until 1982, when it was closed for nearly two years for an extensive expansion and renovation; the restored library opened on July 16, 1984. Today, the handsome three-story building, fully accessible to persons who use wheelchairs, houses adult, young adult, and children's collections. A modern auditorium, available for community group meetings and library programs, is located on the third floor.

For more information on the branch, click here.

Ford Foundation Auditorium

Manhattan

Frederick Rose Auditorium

Manhattan

The auditorium is within Cooper Union’s new building—41 Cooper Square—a technologically advanced academic facility on the east side of Third Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets. Designed by 2005 Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis, the nine-story, full-block building replaced more than 40 percent of the academic space at the college with state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, studios and public spaces.

George Bruce Branch—New York Public Library

Manhattan

Mon & Wed: 12-7 pm
Tues & Thurs: 10 am-6 pm
Fri & Sat: 10 am-5 pm

George Bruce was an enterprising young Scotsman who sailed to the United States before he was 15. Eventually settling in New York, he became a well-known typefounder and inventor of printing machinery. In 1877, Bruce's daughter Catherine contributed $50,000 for a library building and books, in memory of her father. Completed in 1888, the original George Bruce Library was located on 42nd Street. When it was sold in 1915, the proceeds were used to build the present-day, handsome brick and sandstone Carrère and Hastings-designed building on 125th Street. Heavily used by children and teenagers who come to read and study, the George Bruce Library features a spacious Children's Room. Cultural programs for all ages are held in the auditorium, which includes a stage built by the WPA project. In 2001, a renovation has provided the building a new entrance with restored façade and an elevator giving access to persons who use wheelchairs. New telecommunications equipment, computer workstations, and furnishings were also added.

For more information on the branch, click here.

Goldstein Theatre

Queens