Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
NYPL's Rose Reading Room Won't Re-Open Until April
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 4, 2014
Modified Oct 4, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Jake Dobkin / Gothamist
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 4, 2014
Modified Oct 4, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Photograph by Jake Dobkin/Gothamist
More sad news about the New York Public Library's Rose Reading Room: damage is so extensive that they need at least another three months for repairs.
Plaster fell from the ceiling in late May, prompting the library to close the room for six months. Yesterday, the library issued a new update:
Following a piece of plaster falling during non-public hours earlier in the year, The New York Public Library’s Rose Main Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room remain closed. All library services have continued, and a number of additional rooms have been opened to the public to provide spaces for researchers, writers, and computer users.
Following a preliminary analysis, further inspection is now beginning, including construction of scaffolding so that workers can gain access to the affected areas. The Library anticipates that the additional inspection will take six months. At its conclusion - likely in the spring - the Library will share its findings and what, if any, actions need to take place.
In the course of the preliminary work, asbestos was found in a closed attic area above the Rose Main Reading Room ceiling. Asbestos is commonly found in many older buildings in New York. The Library is currently taking steps to remove it as quickly and safely as possible and, of course, is following the procedures of the City’s Department of Environmental Protection.
As a reminder, all services previously available in these two rooms can be accessed on the second floor corridor of the 42nd Street Library. Rooms on the third floor - including Art and Architecture, Manuscripts and Archives, and Rare Books - remain open.
The Library continues to thank its users for their patience as it remedies this situation and works to reopen the Rose Main Reading Room and the Bill Blass Public Catalog Room.
The hole left in the ceiling, and one of the rosettes. (Courtesy of the NYPL)
Tagged
new york public library
nypl
rose reading room
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:55 p.m. ET
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .