See Inside the New York Public Library's Last Remaining Apartments

Library custodians used to receive housing in the form of private apartments where they lived with their families. Only 13 still exist today. Here, a peek inside.

By Sam DangremondPublished: Oct 14, 2016

The New York Public Library branches used to be heated by coal. And coal is hard work.

In 1901, Andrew Carnegie gave the city$5.2 million ($100 million in today's dollars) to create the library system, and each one had a custodian whose job it was to keep the heat on and the fires burning. The custodians lived in private apartments in the libraries, often with their families and on the top floors. "The family mantra was: Don't let that furnace go out," said one woman who grew up in a library. Even the main branch, on 42nd Street, once housed an apartment.

Atlas Obscura toured one of the 13 remaining apartments, at the Fort Washington branch. Most of the others have been absorbed for different uses at their respective branches. The photos, below, offer a haunting look into old New York.