By Daniel Afanasyev
At the start of the new academic year on Aug. 28, new and returning students were greeted with scaffolding at the main entrance to the Brooklyn College Library, a result of several summer storms damaging its facade.
As with most of the New York City area, the BC campus was no exception to facing the brunt of the recent summer storms. In the past few summer months, the area saw a fair amount of severe weather: from first experiencing damaging winds and tornado warnings in late June, per FOX5NY, to suffering heavy flooding and strong winds brought on by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby.
While the storm damage left a noticeable mark on the facade of the library, it went almost unnoticed for many who were on campus when it happened.
“I was working throughout the entire summer term and had little knowledge of what was happening to the outside of the front entrance of the library,” said Lucy Rolander, a college assistant at the library.
When reached out to for comment, administrators told The Vanguard that the library closure was due to eyewitness accounts of damage.
“The college’s facilities team noticed parts of the library’s front facade crumbling. We immediately closed access to the main entrance and contacted the University’s Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management (FPCM) for emergency project funding,” the Office of Finance and Administration told The Vanguard.
In a schoolwide email sent by Director of Facilities Planning Barry Fong on Aug. 5, it was announced that the main library entrance was reopened with the installation of a temporary sidewalk bridge. “This sidewalk bridge will remain until an engineering consultant performs surveying work and an existing conditions report is completed at the Library’s exterior facade.”
On Sept. 9, a schoolwide email was sent by senior vice president for Finance and Administration Alan Gilbert addressing the state of the financial and infrastructure projects on campus. Outlining the current projects well underway, such as the Ingersoll and Roosevelt upgrades and cafeteria renovations, Gilbert also discussed the addition of the library facade renovation to another existing emergency project that is currently being performed.
“CUNY has an emergency response process for matters that need to be addressed quickly for safety reasons. We have a few of these emergency capital projects in process. For example, both the large Claire Tow Theater in Whitman Hall and the Library façade are undergoing emergency work,” said Gilbert in the email. “The theater in Whitman experienced condensation above the ceiling from steam leaks and roof leaks, which undermined its structural integrity and led to plaster falling from the ceiling. After one of the many storms, we also noticed parts of the library façade falling in front of the building. Luckily no one was hurt in either location.”
As a timeline for the renovation of the library has yet to be provided, pending the vendors’ findings, the BC community will have to get accustomed to the construction in front of the iconic building.