Brooklyn Public Library is hosting a welcome party for its new Teen Center at Central Library on Wednesday, September 30, at 4 p.m. The 4,700-square-foot space opened in early September at Grand Army Plaza. It is reserved for teens ages 13 to 18 and anchors the second phase of the building’s $67 million revitalization.
Key Takeaways
- The Teen Center is the largest dedicated teen space among Brooklyn Public Library’s 62 branches, occupying 4,700 square feet in the second-floor Eastern Parkway wing.
- Toshiko Mori Architect designed the space, using curved “arcades” that divide a high-ceilinged room into smaller social and study areas.
- Amenities include a gaming center, listening and recording pods, and the Robin K. and Jay L. Lewis Teen Tech Center, a technology classroom and makerspace.
- Seating is reserved for teens ages 13 to 18, while visitors of other ages may browse the collection.
- Upcoming renovations at Central Library include the adult learning center, the children’s wing and a second-floor main reading room.
Brooklyn Public Library Designs A Room Around How Teens Actually Spend Their Afternoons
Public libraries have long asked teenagers to adapt to the building. The new Teen Center at Central Library reverses that approach. Brooklyn Public Library built the space around the way teens use their time after school: working on homework in groups, recording music, gaming with friends and making things. The library describes a café-style layout where conversation is encouraged and a little noise is expected, a clear departure from the hushed reading room most Brooklynites grew up with.
Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, called the new wing “a safe haven just for them,” adding that the space is for teens only. That point matters for parents and younger siblings. Brooklyn Public Library allows visitors of other ages to browse the Teen Center collection, but the seating belongs to patrons ages 13 to 18.
Toshiko Mori Uses Historic Bookcases To Shape Smaller Spaces Inside A Large Room
The Teen Center sits in the second-floor Eastern Parkway wing of a building that first opened to the public in 1941 and was designated a New York City Landmark in 1997. Rather than working against that history, Toshiko Mori Architect drew the design from the room’s original architecture and the historic bookcases lining its perimeter. Curving forms break the large, high-ceilinged room into a series of more intimate zones the architects call arcades. Mori describes them as places for both displaying knowledge and socializing, with more energy than a traditional reading room.
The design solves a practical problem. A single cavernous room can feel exposed to a teenager looking for somewhere to settle in, and the arcades give small groups defined corners of their own while keeping the whole space open to staff.
Recording Pods, A Makerspace And Gaming Anchor The Teen Center Lineup
The Teen Center houses Brooklyn Public Library’s young adult collection, including fiction, graphic novels and comics, plus nonfiction on careers, crafts, sports and test preparation. Beyond books, the space includes a gaming center, listening and recording pods, and the Robin K. and Jay L. Lewis Teen Tech Center, a technology-rich classroom and makerspace. According to the library’s Teen Center page, staff run regular programs in music production, photography and 3D printing, along with tabletop and video gaming, an Anime Club and art sessions.
For Brooklyn families, that programming mix is the real draw. It gives teens a free, supervised place to build skills that would otherwise cost money in private studios or classes, and it sits a short walk from Prospect Park and several subway lines at Grand Army Plaza.
The Eastern Parkway Collection Wing Adds Art, Music And A Craft Lending Collection
Brooklyn Public Library opened a second space alongside the Teen Center. The new Eastern Parkway Collection Wing, at the west end of the second floor, holds books and materials on art, music and sports, with quiet reading nooks, study booths and an art studio. Refurbished historic shelving and display cases remain along the window walls.
The wing also introduced a craft collection that cardholders can borrow, including tools and kits for bookbinding, screen printing, metal stamping and hand embroidery. The idea fits a broader shift across the borough toward shared, community-minded spaces, a trend visible in Brooklyn cafés built around art and creative community as well as in its public institutions.
The $67 Million Second Phase Continues Central Library’s Renovation
The Teen Center and Eastern Parkway Collection Wing are part of the $67 million second phase of Central Library’s renovation. Brooklyn Public Library plans to renovate the adult learning center, the children’s wing and a main reading room on the second floor next. Funding comes from private donors, including Robin K. and Jay L. Lewis, along with city and state capital allocations and support from the New York State Education Department. Assembly Member Robert C. Carroll, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, noted that he helped secure $13.2 million for capital needs at branch libraries across Brooklyn.
The first phase, completed in 2021, returned former administrative space to public use. It created the Civic Commons, the New and Noteworthy book gallery, an expanded Business and Career Center and the Major Owens Welcome Center. With the second phase now open, Central Library’s renovation has shifted from adult services toward the patrons most likely to shape how the building is used over the next generation.
FAQs
Who Can Use The Brooklyn Public Library Teen Center At Central Library?
The Teen Center is reserved for teens ages 13 to 18. Visitors of other ages may browse the collection, but seating in the space is set aside for teens.
Where Is The New Brooklyn Public Library Teen Center Located?
The Teen Center is on the second floor of the Eastern Parkway wing at Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.
What Can Teens Do At The Central Library Teen Center?
Teens can use a gaming center, listening and recording pods, and the Lewis Teen Tech Center makerspace. Staff host programs in music production, photography, 3D printing, gaming, anime and art.
When Is The Brooklyn Public Library Teen Center Welcome Party?
The welcome party is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 4 p.m. in the Central Library Teen Tech Center.
What Are Central Library’s Hours?
Central Library is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
