$39 Million Project to Replace Rego Park Library

An artist’s rendering of the new 18,000-square-foot Rego Park Library (WEISS/MANFREDI)

New Building More Than Doubles the Size of the Current Branch

Will Feature ‘Percent for Art’ Installation by Katrin Sigurdardottir

Queens Public Library (QPL) President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott and New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle today joined QPL staff and local elected officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Rego Park Library at the site of the current branch at 91-41 63rd Drive. Managed by DDC on behalf of QPL, the $39 million project includes design, demolition and construction, with completion expected by the end of 2028.  

The Rego Park branch has consistently been one of QPL’s busiest branches, ranking among the top in checkouts, visits, and computer use.

The current 7,500-square-foot, one-story facility will be demolished and replaced with an 18,000-square-foot, three-story library, expanding space for programs, learning, and community engagement.

The new library will feature three full floors of programming space. The lower level will include the main multi-purpose room along with a dedicated teen reading area. The ground floor will serve as the primary hub for adult reading and resources, while the second floor will house a bright and welcoming children’s area and a smaller multi-purpose room dedicated to children’s programming.

Architecturally, the new library will have a distinctive presence on its corner lot, defined by a jade-colored brick façade and tall windows that will help bring natural light to every level and to its double-height reading room spaces. A grand, open staircase and elevator will link all three floors, creating a sense of spaciousness and connection throughout the building.

The roof will feature a low-maintenance green roof, reflecting the library’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Other sustainability features include high-efficiency lighting and mechanical systems, on-site stormwater retention, and a highly insulated building envelope. When completed, the new library is expected to meet LEED Silver certification for environmental sustainability.  

The new Rego Park Library will feature a wall installation as part of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)  ‘Percent for Art’ program. Artist Katrin Sigurdardottir’s The Fore will be a continuous mural covering approximately 1,500 square feet across three interior walls, featuring images created through an innovative modular brick system. Inspired by halftone printing and digital dot-matrix structures, specially contoured bricks alternate with standard bricks to form patterns that come together to reveal striking, large-scale images across the walls and transform the building itself into a dynamic, visually engaging canvas. The images are of plants that are native to Queens and which the artist has previously foraged and used to make paper, similar to the paper that makes up books in a library.

The architecture firm WEISS/MANFREDI designed the building under DDC’s Design and Construction Excellence Program, which pre-qualifies design firms for public buildings projects, reducing the time required to procure design services while ensuring the highest levels of quality and professionalism in construction projects managed by the agency. The design and its ‘Percent for Art’ installation received an Award for Public Excellence in Design from the Public Design Commission in 2023. The general contractor is Stalco Construction Inc. of Hauppauge, NY.

Queens Public Library will provide mobile library at the site on Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, beginning January 8, 2026. Other nearby QPL locations include Elmhurst (86-07 Broadway); Forest Hills (108-19 71 Avenue); and North Forest Park (98-27 Metropolitan Avenue).

About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has four bookmobiles and two book bicycles.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor Adams’ long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $34 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.