The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading research facilities devoted to the preservation of materials on the global African and African diaspora experiences. The Center is a research unit of the New York Public Library dedicated to collecting, preserving and providing access to materials documenting black life, and promoting the study and interpretation of the history and culture of peoples of African descent.

The design objective of the project is to enhance how the Schomburg Center interfaces with the public and with the surrounding Harlem community by displaying portions of its vast collection and current events to the street. Features of the design include high definition LED display systems, interactive information panels, display windows for historical artifacts, and a new landscape plaza with distinctive paving, plantings, and seating adjacent to the display areas. The project also includes a new gift shop and conference room building addition along with interior renovations of the Center’s Manuscripts, Archives & Rare Books Division.