Brooklyn Today for March 29
Good morning. Today is the 88th day of the year. On this day in 1941, what was then known as the Ingersoll Branch and is now known as the Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library opened at Grand Army Plaza. The intended original design was classical, similar to the nearby Brooklyn Museum, and ground was broken in 1914. However, World War I and escalating costs during the 1920s slowed the project considerably, and construction came to a halt during the Depression.
In the 1930s, new architects were hired to design the building, and the existing half-finished structure was torn down. The resulting structure, with its concave front and Egyptian-style decorations, is now considered one of America’s great Art Deco buildings.
Well-known people who were born today include Hall of Fame baseball player Earl Christian Campbell, actor Eric Idle of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” model-actress Elle Macpherson, Hall of Fame tennis player Jennifer Capriati, former British Prime Minister John McLaughlin and Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas.
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