The Bayonne Public Library is the free public library of Bayonne, New Jersey. Incorporated in 1890, the library system has three branches and serves a population of approximately 62,000.
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The main library located at located at 697 Avenue C. The Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival building, sporting Ionic and Doric columns and rich in ornamental detail has undergone expansion and renovation since its 1904 opening.[1] It is one of New Jersey's original thirty-six Carnegie libraries, constructed with a grant of $83,000 made April 13, 1903 by the Carnegie Corporation,[2][3] still in use. In 1913, Andrew Carnegie donated another $30,000 for its expansion. The present structure was completed after its final expansion at the cost of $300,000. Frank L. Bodine submitted a proposal for the original[4] but the one accepted came from Edward Lippincott Tilton, who also designed the rectangular annex in 1914. Charles Shilowitz designed major addition of the two wings that form a courtyard built between 1929 and 1933.
In a Memorial Day fire in 1959 the central part of the interior and roof were badly burnt. After a $1.25 million restoration it re-opened to the public in 1963.[1] The building was re-dedicated in 1989 as the Free Public Library & Cultural Center of Bayonne. Performing and visual arts and interactive events take place at The Mary O'Connor Gallery, while the lower level is used for meetings and cultural programs.[1]
The Branch Two Library is located at 1055 Avenue C.[5] The Stony Point Branch is located in the Bergen Point section of the city at 4th Street.[6] As of 2011, the library system served a population of approximately 62,000 residents, contained a collection of 268494 volumes and had yearly circulation of 99100 items.[7]