| Gould Memorial Library | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Event space, former library |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical |
| Address | 1930 Sedgwick Avenue |
| Town or city | The Bronx, New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°51′31.5″N 73°54′50.3″W / 40.858750°N 73.913972°W |
| Current tenants | Bronx Community College |
| Named for | Jay Gould |
| Groundbreaking | October 19, 1895 |
| Completed | 1900 |
| Closed | 1973 (as library) |
| Client | New York University |
| Owner | City University of New York |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel superstructure |
| Material | Brick and limestone facade |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Stanford White |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access | Subway: 4 train at Burnside Avenue Metro-North: Hudson Line at University Heights |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Designated | September 7, 1979 |
| Reference no. | 79001567[1] |
| Designated entity | Hall of Fame Complex |
| Designated | February 15, 1966[2] |
| Reference no. | 0112[2] |
| Designated entity | Facade |
| Designated | August 11, 1981[3] |
| Reference no. | 1087[3] |
| Designated entity | Interior |
The Gould Memorial Library (GML; also nicknamed Gould) is a building on the campus of Bronx Community College (BCC), an institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), in University Heights, Bronx, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Stanford White of the firm McKim, Mead & White. Constructed between 1895 and 1900 as the central library of New York University (NYU)'s Bronx campus, it was part of the New York University Libraries system. The library is named after railroad magnate Jay Gould, whose daughter Helen Miller Shepard funded the project in his memory. Gould is no longer used as a library, instead serving primarily as an event space. Gould's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gould is arranged in the shape of a Greek cross and is surrounded by the Hall of Fame for Great Americans to its west. The library's main entrance is on the east side, where there is a portico with a Corinthian-style colonnade. The copper dome contains an ornamental frieze as well as an oculus at its center. Inside the entrance vestibule, a barrel-vaulted stair hall leads up to offices and a circular reading room. The ornately designed reading room contains two colonnades flanking two balcony levels; multiple Tiffany glass windows; a balustrade with sixteen statues; and a coffered ceiling. Originally, the reading room was surrounded by three levels of stacks and 18 seminar rooms. Under the library was a 600-seat auditorium.
New York University's Bronx campus was developed in the 1890s. Construction on the library started in 1895 after Shepard anonymously donated $200,000. During much of the 20th century, NYU used the library for commencement ceremonies and other events. The university installed numerous busts of artists inside the library during the 1920s and 1930s. NYU built additional campus libraries in the 1950s due to a lack of space at Gould, and the auditorium was rebuilt after an arson attack in 1969. After NYU sold its Bronx campus to CUNY in 1973, the Gould Library was converted into an event space, and the library fell into disrepair. The auditorium was restored in 2000, and the library was further refurbished in the early 21st century.