Richmond Hill’s public library was built in 1905 by the architectural firm Tuthill and Higgins with a grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on land donated by Albon Man, the original developer of Richmond Hill in the late 1800s.
Inside is a large interior mural painted in 1936 as part of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration by artist Philip Evergood showing Richmond Hill as a suburban alternative to the hustle and bustle of the big city. This panel depicts workmen and children by a staircase leading to the elevated on Jamaica Avenue, with a trolley car in the background.
The library, at Hillside and Lefferts Boulevard, is situated in Brendan Byrne Plaza, but I doubt the plaza was named for the former New Jersey governor; it’s probably another Brendan Byrne.
Photo: Robert Mulero
5/24/16