Center for Brooklyn History opens with gala ribbon-cutting, reception
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BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — The most complete collection of Brooklyn history in the world reopened with a gala reception and ribbon-cutting on Thursday, as Brooklyn Public Library swung open the doors of the Center for Brooklyn History at its elegant building at 128 Pierrepont St.
The Center for Brooklyn History was formed in 2020 by merging the Brooklyn Historical Society and Brooklyn Public Library, combining the irreplaceable materials collected over the past 142 years by the Historical Society with BPL’s Brooklyn Collection.
“Now 142 years later, we remain true to the founders’ mission to preserve that history for future generations,” BPL president and CEO Linda Johnson said at Thursday’s celebration. The landmarked building “has become part of Brooklyn’s historical record, and today we introduce a new generation to both the building and its collection of books, maps, manuscripts, letters, diaries and photographs.”