Despite Court Square Library’s impending closure,
QPL is ‘committed’ to staying in Long Island City
BY BILL PARRY
After serving the community
for three decades, the Court
Square Library will be closing
its doors for the final time next
month. Queens Public Library
operated the tiny branch on
the ground floor at One Court
Square but the tower’s new
owner declined to renew its
lease.
“Our lease ends March 31,
so public service will end sometime
in February,” Queens
Public Library Director of
Communications Elisabeth De
Bourbon said. “We need sufficient
time to pack and move
our materials, equipment,
shelving and furniture out of
the building, and restore the
space as necessary to comply
with the terms and conditions
of the lease.”
QPL has subleased the 3,200-
square-foot space for $1 a month
from Citigroup, which had been
the anchor tenant at the 53-
story tower since it opened. But
Savanna purchased the building
in 2014 and is seeking market
rent for the space. Savanna
was burned by Amazon’s decision
to scuttle it’s HQ2 campus
plan in Long Island City as
the e-commerce giant was set
to lease more than 1.5 million
square feet of office space in
the tower to use as a temporary
headquarters during the buildout
of its complex.
Citigroup decided to relocate
its workers from One
Court Square to new locations
to make way for the Amazon
employees. Savanna has been
able to sign several corporate
clients to make up for some of
the loss.
“The library has occupied
its space under a sublease,
which ends by its own terms
when the direct tenant vacates
the building this year,” Savanna
said in a statement. “Our
improvement plan for the Annex
at One Court Square will
deliver a central Long Island
City dining and retail destination
for residents, office tenants
and visitors, making the
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most of the property’s excellent
location and transportation.”
The number of people who
visit the branch and circulation
have skyrocketed since
the branch opened in 1989. It
attracts nearly 100,000 people
a year, and offers hundreds
of programs for the growing
community of residents and
employees of local businesses
and government and nonprofit
organizations.
‘The potential closure of the
Court Square Library is completely
unacceptable,” Councilman
Jimmy Van Bramer said.
“The Queens Public Library
must find a suitable location so
that this growing community
can continue to have a library.
I have communicated to the
QPL president and CEO that
library service must continue.
We will continue to advocate
forcefully to the library, which
tells us they are actively pursuing
new locations for Court
Square. We will not give up
and will never accept the Court
Square community being without
a library.”
Meanwhile, Queens Public
Library President and CEO
Dennis M. Walcott has personally
scouted new locations in
the neighborhood and had discussions
with neighborhood
business leaders in an attempt
to find an alternative location.
“We are committed to having
a presence in a neighborhood
we have served for 30
years, and continue to look for
new space there,” de Bourbon
said. “Affordability and suitability
are factors, however.”
The Court Square Library will close next month after the owner of
One Court Square declined to renew its lease.
Courtesy of Queens Public Library
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