115th Street Library

	New York Public Library
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	New York City Landmark
	Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library, July 2026
Location	203 W. 115th St., New York, New York
Coordinates	40°48′10″N 73°57′14″W / 40.80278°N 73.95389°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1907
Architect	McKim, Mead & White
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Neo Italian Renaissance
NRHP reference No.	80002704
NYCL No.	0298
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 6, 1980
Designated NYCL	July 12, 1967

The Harry Belafonte 115th Street Branch of the New York Public Library is a historic library building located in Harlem, New York City. It was designed by McKim, Mead & White and built in 1907–1908 and opened on November 6, 1908.^[2] It is a three-story-high, three-bay-wide building faced in deeply rusticated gray limestone in a Neo Italian Renaissance style. The branch was one of 65 built by the New York Public Library with funds provided by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, 11 of them designed by McKim, Mead & White. The building is 50 feet wide and features three evenly spaced arched openings on the first floor.^[3] The branch served as Harlem cultural center and hub of organizing efforts.^[4]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.^[1] In 2017, the branch was renamed to honor Harry Belafonte who lived near the branch.^[2]^[5] Another branch of the Library, the Schomburg Center holds Belafonte's archives.^[6]

References

1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
1 2 "About the Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library". The New York Public Library. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
↑ Framberger, David J.; Olshansky, Joan R.; Spencer-Ralph, Elizabeth (December 1979). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP New York Public Library, 115th Street Branch. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 13, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
↑ Bennis, Phyllis (November 1, 2017). "Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Activist Harry Belafonte Goes to the Library". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
↑ Boyd, Herb (May 11, 2017). "Library renamed the Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (March 13, 2020). "Six Decades After the Banana Boat, Harry Belafonte's Archive Sails Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2022.

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[nris-1] 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[about-2] 1 2 "About the Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library". The New York Public Library. Retrieved June 27, 2022.

[nrhpinv_ny-3] Framberger, David J.; Olshansky, Joan R.; Spencer-Ralph, Elizabeth (December 1979). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP New York Public Library, 115th Street Branch. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved November 13, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)

[bennis-4] Bennis, Phyllis (November 1, 2017). "Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Activist Harry Belafonte Goes to the Library". Retrieved June 27, 2022.

[boyd-5] Boyd, Herb (May 11, 2017). "Library renamed the Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library". Retrieved June 27, 2022.

[6] Schuessler, Jennifer (March 13, 2020). "Six Decades After the Banana Boat, Harry Belafonte's Archive Sails Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 27, 2022.

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v t e Harlem
Manhattan, New York City
Main topics	Crime Demographics Education History Harlem Renaissance List of films List of neighborhoods List of people
Subsections	East Harlem Hamilton Heights Italian Harlem Le Petit Sénégal Manhattanville Sugar Hill
Designated landmarks	28th Police Precinct Station 32nd Police Precinct Station 369th Regiment Armory Abyssinian Baptist Church Apollo Theater Astor Row Central Park Davis Center Harlem Meer North Woods Dunbar Apartments Firehouse, Hook & Ladder Company 14 Graham Court Hamilton Grange National Memorial Harlem River Houses Harlem YMCA Hotel Theresa Langston Hughes House Macombs Dam Bridge Manhattan Avenue–West 120th–123rd Streets Historic District Metropolitan Baptist Church Minton's Playhouse Morningside Park Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Mount Morris Park Historic District NYPL 115th Street Library NYPL Schomburg Library St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church St. Andrew's Church St. Nicholas Historic District Wadleigh High School for Girls Washington Apartments
Other points of interest	Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building All Saints Church ATLAH World Missionary Church Bushman Steps Cotton Club Duke Ellington Circle Frederick Douglass Circle Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts Harlem Children's Zone Harlem Hospital Center The Harlem School of the Arts Lenox Lounge Marcus Garvey Park Harlem Fire Watchtower Morningside Park National Black Theatre New York College of Podiatric Medicine Rucker Park Savoy Ballroom St. Nicholas Houses Studio Museum in Harlem Sylvia's Soul Food
See also: Manhattan Community Boards: 9, 10, 11

Authority control databases
International	ISNI 2 VIAF 2
National	United States

See also

References