Pictured: Bronxville Reading Garden. Photo by D. Fenner

By Monica Malpass, Friends of the Bronxville Public Library Member

June 20, 2024: Cicero said, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." And now Bronxville has both!

The Bronxville Library's stunning new Reading Garden debuted at a ribbon-cutting on June 14th, attended by 100 guests, including politicians, patrons, Village and Library trustees, members of the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library, and library enthusiasts.

Opening ceremony Event

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (in pink) at the opening celebration.

Library Trustee President Christina Krettecos presided over the ceremony. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, County Legislator James Nolan, County Executive George Latimer, Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin, and library enthusiasts from Bronxville and nearby were among the celebrants.

Pictured: Friends of the Bronxville Public Library Board. Photo by D. Fenner

Pictured: Friends of the Bronxville Public Library Board President Carolyn Mattson (left) and Vice President Amy Brown (right) with George Latimer (center). Photo by D. Fenner

"The library project was a classic public-private partnership where every segment of the village came together for the common good and is another example of why our village is so special," said Mayor Mary Marvin.

The new Outdoor Garden features:
-seating for 60
-built-in wooden benches designed by Tom Dordevik and built by the same company that built New York City's High Line
-white marble edging repurposed from the original Tuckahoe Marble back steps
-beautiful patio space
-rain garden, which will be a great place to learn about conservation 
-enhanced lighting, which enables patrons to see better during evening library hours

The Bronxville Library Garden Outdoor Committee. Photo by D. Fenner

The new Garden will be great for many of the Library's activities, including children's story hour and knitting classes. It's also a wonderful and quiet place to read the newspaper or your favorite book.

Pictured: Bronxville Library Staff. Photo by D. Fenner

This project involved two years of planning and a year of fundraising. It was designed by architect Ronan Wilk of Peter Gisolfi Associates and built by Luigi Casale and his team at Tony Casale Inc.

"When our community highlighted a need for outdoor space, we heard them and worked together with the support of the Village and New York State to create a beautiful space in less than a year. This doesn't happen everywhere. This is a true community project, "said Carolyn Mattson, President of Friends of the Bronxville Public Library.

"The Reading Garden has been so warmly received by every generation of Village residents from teenage girls practicing cartwheels, to toddlers smelling the flowers, to a gentleman reading his book at lunchtime," said Amy Brown, Vice President of Friends of the Bronxville Public Library.

Generous patrons include Deirdre and Michael Doheny, Leah and Clayton Pope, Irene von Jelen and Frank Emil Salerno, Georgia Wall and Donald Gogel, Carolyn and Patrick Mattson, and hundreds of other donors.

Pictured: Deirdre Doheny, Helen Knapp and Mayor Mary Marvin 

"This was a labor of love for so many of us, and the community pulled together, with typical Bronxville Spirit, in a big way to bring this new gathering space to our village," said Christina Krettecos, a Bronxville Library Trustee.

Thanks to everyone and hats off to the Friends Of the Bronxville Public Library Board for spearheading the capital campaign.