History
The library serves a population of approximately 62,000. The Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival building has undergone expansion & renovation since its 1904 opening. 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, 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 but the accepted design 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 1959 fire, 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. The building was re-dedicated in 1989 as the Free Public Library & Cultural Center of Bayonne.
Specialties
We specialize in helping our patrons get what they need: a space to work, access to technology, assistance with conducting research, access to our historical archives, use of our eContent, and the ability to borrow our physical items such as books, audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs.