Bronxville Public Library

“A library should not only be a storehouse for books and a shelter for readers but also an influence on the community. We hope the library will stimulate an interest not only in books and architecture, but also in art and the other cultural fields.”

—Library Board President Ernest Quantrell, May 17, 1942

The Bronxville Public Library, begun as a Reading Room in 1875 and settled in its current home in 1942, is a beloved cultural center and meeting place located at the heart of the Village. Our outstanding art collection and rich calendar of literary and musical programs draw visitors from all over Westchester. And it’s a wonderful place to curl up with a good book!

Before the Bronxville Public Library was officially chartered in June 1906, Villagers had enjoyed the use of a lending library for thirty-one years. The embryonic library was housed in a small room that had been added in 1875 to the Bronxville Model School in the center of town. A group of residents petitioned the school board to open the reading room one or two nights a week and the men of the village volunteered their service once a month. A box was placed in the railroad station for book donations. Over the years about 2,500 volumes were collected.

The FRIENDS OF THE BRONXVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, INC. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Bronxville Public Library. Our mission is to focus public attention on the Library’s services, facilities, and needs; sponsor special projects; secure materials that are beyond the reach of the regular Library budget; and perform other services helpful to this beloved 107-year-old institution.