NEW YORK — The New York Public Library (NYPL) on Thursday, November 16, announced it has officially dedicated its Center for Research in the Humanities in honor of former NYPL President Vartan Gregorian, whose extraordinary leadership revitalized the Library and helped solidify its position as an indispensable civic and educational institution. The Library’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved the name change during their quarterly meeting on Wednesday, November 15.
The new Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities is dedicated to furthering the Library’s mission to engage, inspire, support, and connect a growing community of scholars worldwide — all of which were priorities of Gregorian during his tenure as NYPL President from 1981-89.
Located in the heart of the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the Gregorian Center is both an homage to its namesake’s enduring legacy and a physical manifestation of all of the progress and growth in the Research Library over the last decade. That progress includes substantial investments in collections, programs, and access to public space, highlights of which are outlined below.
Lead support for the Gregorian Center is provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York, where Gregorian served as president from 1997 until his death in 2021. The library is also grateful for the generosity of Gregorian’s many friends and colleagues: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Agnes Gund, Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos and Adam Bartos, Annette de la Renta, Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller, Barbara G. Fleischman, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Harold W. McGraw III Foundation, Abby and Howard Milstein, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, and The Edward John and Patricia Rosenwald Foundation.
The 8,000-square-foot space, which was part of the Schwarzman building’s recent $200 million renovation project, provides a vibrant work environment for up to 400 researchers, including 40 scholars on paid fellowships. Additional highlights of the Gregorian Center include:
* Dedicated spaces to support researchers and fellows by offering long-term access to collections and staff expertise in quiet workspaces, while simultaneously building meaningful and sustained connections between researchers and the Library. This includes four study rooms (Scholars Reading Room, Shoichi Noma Reading Room, Frederick Lewis Allen Room, and Wertheim Study) which scholars can apply to use. The rooms will also hold books from Gregorian’s personal library.
