Steven Holl Architects
May 2, 2017 By Christian Murray
The Hunters Point Library will not open until early 2018 as the project continues to besieged by construction delays.
The City agency in charge of building the elaborate structure estimates that the completion date will be pushed back six weeks due to delays in obtaining the glass that will be used for the windows. DNAinfo was first to report the story.
A spokesman for the Department of Design and Construction, the agency in charge of building the library, said the delay stems from a labor strike in Spain that has prevented the glass from being shipped. He said construction should now be completed in September, at which point the building will be handed over to the Queens Library to get it ready.
A spokeswoman for the Queens Library said it typically takes four months from the time a new library is built until it is ready for opening, resulting in an early 2018 opening.
Ian Michaels, a spokesman with the DDC, said the reason the glass is coming from Spain is because the windows require a special type that can withstand heat. He said the DDC got a Connecticut company to choose a window manufacturer, which in turn selected a German company. The German manufacturer sent the glass to Spain as part of the process.
The latest postponement comes on the heels of a process riddled with delays. For instance, the city broke ground on the project in May 2015, two years behind schedule. That delay was the result of cost issues. The city at the time was unable to find a contractor to build the elaborate design for the nearly $40 million. The design was later scaled back.
“The delays in building and opening the new $40 million Hunters Point Library are a disgrace.” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer. “The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) has failed to do their job, which is to spend taxpayer dollars wisely and deliver to our community the library it deserves on time.”
Van Bramer said he will continue to press the DDC on this project and plans to hold a hearing to investigate DDC construction delays pertaining to libraries and cultural facilities.
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18 Comments
This library is such a joke. I am forced to stare at this thing every single day from my window. These men work soooooo slow and everyday everyone leaves around 3. Done, gone!! I don’t know who to blame but this is seriously ridiculous, they should all be embarrassed of them selves.
Yeah I overlook the library from my apartment window as well. My wife and I joke about how slow the workers move. Frequently a group is standing around watching one or two perform a task. Now the window installation has started, but it’s amazing how slow it’s going. I don’t think the construction will be finished in Sep as mentioned in this article, so further delays. It’s hard to believe the construction company isn’t incentivized to make this go as slow as possible!
Ditto! Additionally annoying is the constant beeping of the basket crane! How much longer!? !@#$%
Unfortunately this country does not manufacture a good product as far as windows and glass is concerned. That’s the truth. The only thing we have here are local installers that work with foreign manufacturers who are the only who will guarantee their products. US companies produce windows that are not thermically acceptable or waterproof. Even Trump’s towers across the river have foreign glass.
super creep strikes again!
This land should have just been transferred to and developed by the private sector with the bottom 4 floors leased to the City for $1/year in perpetuity.
What a disaster this joint has been. For a solid 7+ years now. Not to mention it’s hideous. And for such a small little building with bare concrete walls, how “elaborate” can it really be? You would think they were reinventing the wheel with this library.
A NYC developer hires a Connecticut company to hire a German company to send the glass through Spain on its way to NY.
The FAKE MRLIC wrote the May , 2017 8:45 a.m. post about spraying bowling shoes etc…I will continue to EXPOSE all his/her FAKE POSTS whenever I come across them.
Looks like you and I pee’d off the same troll. Ha ha
but most people agree with fake mrlic and the conspiracy by big books and their evil plan to get kids to read gooder.
buy ameican glass keep u.s workers working
there a big vglass warehouse on vernon blvd
I want the library, I like the library, but the way the whole project was implemented is wasteful and unnecessary. The city couldn’t hold a plot of land and offer it for development with the stipulation that a library was incorporated into the design for public use. Developers wanting the spot would have to incur all cost and maintence as part of the project. How hard is that? Maybe one developer won’t but another will. Beats spending $40 million, years delays, and lost park land. Now that LIC is really growing there may be other public projects that can take this approach and save tax payers the expense/delays. Tie in a new police station and firehouse into a future project. Tie in a new school. Do something that takes advantage of the construction boom as the developers sure are taking all the advantages they can.
That was the original deal. The developers reneged and there were no consequences except more development signed off on by the City and JVB. They all made promises. No one held them or is holding them to account. Don’t complain on LIC Post. Contact the Comptroller’s office for an investigation.
Investigation. Lol. That ship has sailed. If you don’t make someone comply from the get go they won’t afterwards. Investigation into a developer with deep pockets and lots of lawyers and political sway is a waste of time and money.
JVB is horrible – – more money in his pockets – god help us –
in news that surprised no one… lol …
Typical JVB and the GREEDY developers, building their pork-barrel library to line the pockets of Big Literature. Only 1-percenters have time to go to a library, meanwhile the rest of us are behind the counter spraying the inside of bowling shows with disinfectant and actually WORKING for a living.