History
The Bank Street Bookstore, 1970–2020: A Short History
A sourced history of the former Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan — its 1970 opening, its moves along Broadway, and its 2020 closing.
Historical archive
The Bank Street Bookstore archive
The Bank Street Bookstore served children, families and teachers in Manhattan from 1970 until 2020. Many websites still link to it. This archive records documented facts about the store so those links lead somewhere accurate.
Please noteBankStreetBooks.com is an independent publication. It is not the bookstore, does not sell books or hold events, and is not affiliated with Bank Street College of Education. Archive pages summarize public sources; they do not reproduce the store’s own pages.
History
Documented author events
The store hosted a long-running calendar of author readings, signings and story times. We have restored records only for events that remain widely linked, that are documented in archived copies of the store’s pages or in contemporary announcements and listings, and that center on books we can describe accurately. Each record says when and where the event was held or scheduled, cites its sources, notes what could not be confirmed and offers notes for reading the featured book today.
September 20, 2014
“Little Melba and Her Big Trombone” Read by Katheryn Russell-Brown (2014)
A historical record of Katheryn Russell-Brown’s 2014 reading at the Bank Street Bookstore, with notes for pairing her picture-book biography with music.
March 7, 2015
Grand Opening Festival at the Bank Street Bookstore (March 7, 2015)
A historical record of the March 2015 grand opening of the Bank Street Bookstore’s new location at Broadway and 107th Street, with the authors who took part.
April 12, 2016
“Twenty Yawns” with Jane Smiley and Lauren Castillo (April 2016)
A historical record of the 2016 Bank Street Bookstore event for Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley and Lauren Castillo, plus ideas for sharing the book at bedtime.
March 21, 2019
Gareth Hinds Introduces His Graphic Novel “The Iliad” (March 2019)
A historical record of Gareth Hinds’s scheduled 2019 Bank Street Bookstore event for his graphic-novel adaptation of The Iliad, with notes for reading it today.
September 21, 2019
Nadia L. Hohn Story Time: “A Likkle Miss Lou” (September 2019)
A historical record of Nadia L. Hohn’s 2019 story time at the Bank Street Bookstore for Likkle Miss Lou, with ideas for exploring language and poetry with children.
What is not here
Old product listings, catalog searches, gift cards, account pages, most individual event announcements and Bank Street College materials (including the College’s Children’s Book Committee lists) have not been restored. Links to them return a “gone” page that explains why.