Hamilton Fish Park Branch Library

Branch History

The many large windows in the tan brick facade of the Hamilton Fish Park Branch make the interior a bright and cheerful space. The air-conditioned branch, built in 1961, is arranged on one floor, with adult, teenage, and reference book collections to the right of the entrance and a Children's Room to the left. An auditorium, that seats 75, is available for community use by application to the librarian. The branch and its neighborhood park are both named for Hamilton Fish (1808-93), the distinguished American statesman who was Governor of New York and Secretary of State under Ulysses S. Grant. The original Hamilton Fish Park Branch was built in 1909, with funds from Andrew Carnegie. When Houston Street was widened for an approach to the FDR Drive, the original building was lost and replaced with the current library.