In 1973, the Jamaica Bay Branch was built on a site chosen after a public hearing. Its design, by Architects Leibowitz/Badouva and Associates, won the New York Society of Architects bronze plaque for “an accomplished solution to a difficult and highly constrained construction.”
In July of 2001, the branch was closed for several renovations, which included the installation of a skylight, the elimination of the sunken pit, and the addition of a wheelchair lift. The branch reopened to the public on July 1, 2002 and the Official Grand Opening was held on August 14, 2002.
