Top 15 NYC libraries you need to discover
This time Best Design Books will bring you a new selection of NYC libraries, the ones that a tourist can’t find and even the locals don’t know their locations. Let’s discover these amazing libraries! As the debate continues over the renovation of the main branch of the New York Public Library — a design by Norman Foster that would radically overhaul the stacks and other features of the historic Beaux-Arts building — we are looking at some of the city’s less visible libraries. The NYPL has an incredible branch system around the boroughs, but it’s only a part of New York City’s literary resources. From private clubs, to nonprofit societies, to pop up places right out in the streets, here are some of our favorite secret libraries of the city. General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York 20 West 44th Street, Midtown, Manhattan Started in 1785, the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York has over 10,000 volumes that focus on trade and technical material. But even if you aren’t looking to study up on your skills, the reading room in their 1820 home on 44th Street is a stunning space, where shelves of wood…