After more than three years, the 125th Street Library in East Harlem is once again open to the public, with a fresh look and new features following extensive renovations as part of a citywide effort to restore historic libraries.

The library, located at 224 East 125th Street, reopened after closing in April 2021.

“This is the first branch as part of the Carnegie Renovation Program, a monumental $176 million effort to modernize and restore five original branches to their former glory — and perhaps beyond,” said New York Public Library President Anthony Marx at the library’s ribbon-cutting Wednesday.

Photos from the project show the extensive work that went into the restoration. The upgrades include a new elevator and heating and cooling systems, as well as expanded spaces. The library now has a dedicated teen center on the newly opened third floor and an updated children’s floor, along with more areas for educational programming. Marx noted that despite funding challenges, the renovations at 125th Street continued on schedule.

“The great news is that the city invested $100 million, and then we added another $67 million to make these five renovations happen,” he said. “We never missed a beat. Even when there were budget discussions and hard times, and the possibility of cuts, we kept the work going because we had to deliver for this neighborhood.”

The reopening was a meaningful moment for longtime visitors like Harriet Sepinwall, who has been coming to the 125th Street Library since the 1940s.

“This was my childhood library in the 1940s, got my library card here, but over the years this library was neglected,” Sepinwall shared. “In the '70s, with budget cuts, it was closed most of the time.”

Today, she was moved by the transformation.

“President Marx, along with other supporters, made this happen, and I’m just overcome.”

Local residents, including East Harlem native Isabel Chevalier, were excited by the updated space.

“Oh my God, it’s so beautiful! I love it,” Chevalier said. “All three floors — I went down to the second teenage floor. I just think it’s so lovely. And everyone’s going to appreciate it when they are aware that it’s open again because a lot of people don’t know that it’s open.”

The 125th Street Library reopening marks the beginning of a series of Carnegie library renovations across the city, with four additional branches, including the Fort Washington branch in Manhattan, set to be completed soon.