Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
After Uproar About Accessibility, Hunters Point Library Will Relocate Fiction Section
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 4, 2019
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
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 4, 2019
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
Following criticisms that three fiction sections inside the newly opened Hunters Point Library were accessible only by stairs, a Queens Public Library official announced late Friday that the books in those areas would be relocated to another place inside the building.
“Our goal is to be inclusive and provide access and opportunity to all,” said Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott, in a statement to Gothamist. “We will move the books to another location in the library and provide regular updates to the community.”
The $41 million building designed by Steven Holl has received rave architectural reviews in recent weeks. But after its official opening last week, some patrons began noticing accessibility flaws in the library's design, namely that the elevator does not stop on three levels that house fiction books. On Friday morning, New York Magazine's architectural critic, Justin Davidson, issued what amounted to a mea culpa for underestimating the building's lack of full accessibility.
Davidson said that while he did "mentally track the path that a visitor with a stroller or in a wheelchair would take to the children’s room or the teen hangout," he nevertheless "missed something important."
Referring to the three fiction levels that he originally described in his review as “terraced stacks, like a vineyard of words,” he now observed critically of himself: "I focused on the way study carrels and bookshelves were interleaved, making old-fashioned printed volumes a part of everyone’s experience. I did not focus on the fact that not everyone could get there."
On Twitter, many people responded to the original story with disbelief and outrage.
The Queens Public Library had initially sought to quell concerns about accessibility by saying that the building meets the requirements in the American Disabilities Act and that it would retrieve books for patrons unable to reach the three levels in question.
But Davidson wrote that "meeting legal requirements is a false standard; even vertical buildings can and should always be designed so that they offer the same quality of experience to everyone."
He added: "Staircases can be wonderful, providing drama, seating, exercise, and hangout spaces all at once — but they must never be the only option. Holl’s design, as sensitive as it is in many ways, fails to take that mandate seriously, and it’s a failure that I failed to notice."
Tagged
design
fail
accessibility
Hunters Point Community Library
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Manhattan neurologist charged with sexually abusing 2 patients, DA says
Prosecutors say Dr. Tariq Lamki abused two patients during appointments at a medical practice near Stuyvesant Town.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 5:43 p.m. ET
Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
The Port Authority is replacing its ramshackle Midtown Bus Terminal. Riders will face years of headaches as the work is finished.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
News
Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
The Port Authority is replacing its ramshackle Midtown Bus Terminal. Riders will face years of headaches as the work is finished.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
ICE admits to using Roxbury, NJ warehouse site to process immigrants
By
Mike Hayes
Dolan's offer: Donations to Blakeman for Knicks tickets
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC officials call for Target boycott, say ICE staged at Marble Hill lot before shooting
By
Ryan Kost
and
Brittany Kriegstein
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 .