Left to right: Council Member Sandra Ung’s Chief of Staff Alexander Hart, Chief Librarian Nick Buron, State Senator John Liu, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, Rep. Grace Meng, Assembly Member Nily Rozic, Queensboro Hill Library Manager Alana Murphy, and DDC Program Director Anthony Romeo gathered to welcome customers back to Queensboro Hill Library at its reopening following the installation of a new HVAC system
QPL’s Queensboro Hill Branch Reopens after $2.8 Million HVAC System Replacement
(Queens, NY – September 10, 2026) Queens Public Library (QPL) President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott, NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa, elected officials, Library and DDC staff and community members today celebrated the reopening of Queensboro Hill Library following the installation of a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The project also included new energy-efficient LED lighting and a new dropped ceiling.
“We are thrilled to welcome the community back to a more comfortable and inviting space, where they can reconnect with essential resources and programs,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “We are deeply grateful to our customers and staff for their patience throughout construction, and we thank our elected officials for their support and the NYC Department of Design and Construction for its hard work on this project.”
“Libraries are cool, and we are keeping the Queensboro Hill Library cool–and warm—with this new HVAC system,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa. “Readers need a safe and comfortable place to read, and this $2.8 million project is helping with that. We also installed new energy-efficient LED lights on the first floor. We thank the Flushing community for their patience while we worked on this library branch.”
“I am excited to celebrate the reopening of the Queensboro Hill Library and look forward to the community once again taking advantage of the many services and resources that it offers,” said U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens). “Libraries play a crucial role in our neighborhoods throughout Queens and these important upgrades that have been made will allow this facility to serve local residents even better. Thank you to Council Member Ung and Mayor Mamdani for providing the funding for this project and thank you to the Queens Public Library and Department of Design and Construction for working to improve our local library branches.”
“Our libraries are the lifeblood of our communities, and I couldn't be happier for families across southern Flushing and Kew Gardens Hills who can finally access their local library again,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Whether it's keeping residents warm or cool depending on the season or offering a comfortable place for families to learn, the modernized Queensboro Hill Library will once again be the neighborhood anchor on Main Street that it has always been, thanks to this critical project.”
“The Queensboro Hill Library has been an essential part of the fabric of our neighborhood for over 85 years,” said State Senator John Liu, chairperson of the Senate Committee on NYC Education. “Today’s reopening brings a needed HVAC upgrade to this cherished community space, just in time for the new school year, so that students and the entire community can make the most of their neighborhood library.”
“Queensboro Hill Library is an important resource for families and residents throughout our community, and I am thrilled to welcome neighbors back through its doors,” said Assembly Member Nily Rozic. “This important HVAC upgrade will help ensure the library remains a comfortable and welcoming place for residents of all ages. I look forward to seeing this vital resource continue to serve our community for years to come.”
“I know the Queensboro Hill community has been anxiously awaiting the day when their library doors would open once again, and I want to thank them for their patience while this necessary work was completed,” said Council Member Sandra Ung. “Libraries are so much more than places to check out a book, they are vital community spaces where New Yorkers can access information, technology, educational opportunities, and other valuable resources that can help them build better lives for themselves and their families. I am thrilled to welcome our community back to the Queensboro Hill Library and excited to see this space once again bustling with activity.”
During the closure, the QPL team also made improvements to the building, including fresh paint, new computers, and a complete overhaul of the branch’s IT infrastructure, with a new data rack, cabling, and network equipment.
The one-story, 7,200-square-foot building at 60-05 Main Street in Flushing has served the community since 1982. Prior to that, the branch occupied a structure built at the same location for the World’s Fair, which was remodeled by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1940 for use as a library.
Funding for the project was provided by New York City Council Member Sandra Ung and the Office of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. DDC managed the HVAC work and LED lighting installation for QPL.
The Queensboro Hill Library hours are:
Monday - 10 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday – 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday – 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has five bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager, providing New York’s diverse communities in all five boroughs with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains. To manage this $34 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.
CONTACT:
DDC: Denisse Moreno, morenode@ddc.nyc.gov
QPL: Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, ekern@queenslibrary.org