City’s second Little Free Library installed downtown
Design pays homage to old palace amusements building
Another mini lending library has popped up in Asbury Park, this time at the corner of Cookman and Grand avenues.
A Little Free Library is a box full of books where anyone can stop and select a book to take and read or drop off books to share. The idea behind the movement is to promote literacy and build a sense of community.
City resident Anita Weiner gathered a group of city residents at the site Wednesday morning to officially unveil the new library, among them resident Brian Watkins, who constructed the piece himself.
Rather than purchase one of the prefabricated designs from the Little Free Library website, Watkins used pieces of the former Charms building he picked up after it was demolished. The frame that holds the door in place was made from pieces of a house on Fourth Avenue that was torn down, he said.
The design of the library mimics the design and architecture of the old Palace Amusements building which was located on Cookman Avenue a few blocks away from the site. A bumper car murals that could be seen on the Lake Avenue side of the old building is on the left side, two Tillie faces on the back, and the clown body from the old mural sports the old Bamboozle music festival clown’s head on the right. It took him about a month and a half to build and another month to paint it, he said.
Watkins will now act as the steward of the library, dropping by on a daily basis to make sure the books are in order and the content is apropos.
“I just want to held build a sense of community in Asbury Park,” he said.
Watkins got the idea to build a Little Free Library while he was getting new ink at Neptune Tattooville. Artists from the tattoo shop provided the design for the city’s first free mini lending library located on the West Side, next to the Springwood Center on Springwood Avenue.
“He is always thinking of ways to make Asbury Park a better place,” said Watkins’ wife, Marilyn.
Councilwoman Amy Quinn has acted as Weiner’s liaison to help bring the Little Free Library project, now a global movement, into fruition in Asbury Park.
“I love the history behind the building of this Little Free Library and that he got most of the wood from the Charms building,” Quinn said. “People like Brian are one of the reasons I love Asbury Park.”
Weiner has said previously that two more libraries are scheduled to go up in the city, one in front of the Boys and Girls Club and the other near Langosta Lounge on the boardwalk.
[Photo at top, from left to right: City resident Roy Helfrick, Councilman John Moor, residents Gail Helfrick and Robert Weiner, Councilwoman Amy Quin [crouched at left], Brian Watkins [crouched at right], Anita Weiner, Janet Torsney, director of the Bradley Beach Public Library, and City Manager Jack Kelly.]
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