The Melrose Branch, on Morris Avenue and 162nd Street, is a busy and active branch in the downtown Bronx. It is the closest branch to Yankee Stadium and the borough’s thriving court system. The branch opened its doors on January 16, 1914, and was one of the many libraries built with funds from Andrew Carnegie. Originally, the simple red-brick structure , designed by Carrere and Hastings, rose to four stories. The top two floors were removed during an extensive renovation and modernization in 1959. This air-conditioned library now occupies almost 10,000 square feet, and has separate rooms for children and adults. It serves an ethnically diverse population of approximately 50,000; almost 25 percent of the branch’s users prefer to read and speak in Spanish.
